The Cold Trail
by angellus08
Summary: Klaus Mikaelson an accomplished FBI Agent shoulders his way into Detective Katherine Pierce's investigation into the missing/Kidnapped girl – Caroline Forbes. Slowly secrets come to light revealing Klaus's obsession to find the missing girl. Faced yet again with his old enemy will he come out victorious this time or lose the girl yet again. AU/AH, humanverse.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N – I know I know, what is this? So this is the other AU/AH fic I have been working on, so I am not abandoning Breath of Life but I wanted to put this sort of prologue or introduction of the story up so you guys could know what's coming soon. I'm not sure when to start updating it regularly, after Breath of Life is done or alongside it, so I would love to hear your opinions on it! _

_This fic will have a lot of Klaus/Katherine as frenemies and Klaroline angst in the form of flashbacks! I hope you like it, and if you want me to continue please do let me know._

* * *

Thank you to my beta's **Candis** (muffintine) and **Lulu** (Luludancing) and of course **Lea **(cantcomeup from tumblr) for reading this before anyone and telling me what she thinks!

* * *

_8th September._

He walked in blustering; his shoulders upright and head held high as his hands swung by his sides methodically. He had his hair slicked back perfectly for the office look, yet it somehow managed to maintain its unruly mess. His body language displayed the picture of confidence as his lips quirked up in a half smile that left too much to the imagination.

The armed security guard noticed him because of the loud _click clank_ of his shoes against the marble floor. It had distracted him from his football game and donuts. He got up and stopped the man from entering the jammed elevator. He placed a hand on his chest with a smug smile, as if he just caught the most wanted criminal, and said authoritatively, "You can't go up; you don't have a badge!"

The blonde haired, blue-eyed man he'd stopped sighed overdramatically and said, "I need to see Katherine Pierce in missing pers-..."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I don't _need_ an appointment."

"Look Mr..."

"No, _you_ look," the man snarled, his hand sliding inside his jacket pocket; the guard backed off instantly, his own hand inching for the gun holstered at his hip.

This was a police station after all; caution was mandatory.

His hand tightened on the butt of his gun. The man in front of him only pulled out a wallet like object from his jacket, fidgeting to open it hastily while regularly glaring at the guard. Menacingly, he shoved it into the guard's face, who gulped nervously, stuttering out his next words, "I-I'm sorry sir, we aren't supposed to let anyone up without a badge and..."

"Yes, well, take a long hard look buddy," the man snapped in his face, his thick British accent becoming more evident, "I'm not just _anyone_, I'm FBI!"

Nodding lamely the guard gulped again and made way for the man to climb into the waiting elevator. Exhaling a sigh of relief at not being threatened with severe consequences, he tried to recollect the man's name on his badge.

It was the strangest name he'd ever read.

Niklaus Mikaelson.

* * *

A rookie police officer, who was awfully impressed by his FBI badge, guided him towards a conference room. A sharp, strong female voice hit his ears as he neared the room and quietly leaned against the door frame, observing the discussion ahead of him.

"... 25 years old, lives alone, check the address in the blue... _blue_ not green file, as per last reports she was wearing a ye-..."

_A short yellow, frilly sundress, high boots and a denim jacket. _

"...Runs a day care center five days a week and..."

"...Occasionally works as a home nanny in the Upper East Side..."

"Rich bastards and their sexy nannies."

A ripple of laughter flowed through the room making Klaus inertly roll his eyes; that is until the woman at the front of the long desk; clearly the leader, dressed in flattering formal pants and a blazer bent over, placing her small palms on the table and righted her team with a truly frightening glower.

"A woman is missing, keep your colorful jokes to yourself or I'll put you back on traffic duty!"

Immediately, all smiling faces descended into frowns, making it clear that the dark skinned, dark haired woman held true to her threats.

"When was she seen last?" the woman demanded at the front of the room. Klaus strained his eyes to read her badge that sat idly on the table, a smile formed on his lips when he managed to read it – Katherine Pierce.

"A bakery near 52nd street, that's what it says in the report," a woman with chocolate skin and frizzy dark black hair promptly answered.

A man sitting on the right of Katherine spoke in a definite made up American accent. "How did we end up with this case now? She was only kidnapped a day ago!"

"I don't know," Katherine lamented. "The captain just shoved it in my face. It was someone else's case but now it's ours, so it's beside the point – now we just do our job and _find_ her!"

"We have her leaving the bakery at 19:47, if we can follow her from the traffic cams..."

"We can see where she went from there," the dark-haired, accented man commented with a nod.

"That's of no use," Klaus interrupted stepping into the office drawing Katherine's attention to him. "You need to find out where she was kidnapped..."

The woman sitting across him scrunched her brows and contradicted him. "How will we do that without seeing where all she went after she left the bakery?"

"She could have gone a thousand inconsequential places..." Klaus began but Katherine haughtily cut him off.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, holding up a hand to the man next to her who was about to say something.

"Niklaus Mikaelson. You may call me Klaus," he said flashing his badge in her face and smirking at the way she frowned while inspecting it, clearly contemplating the meaning of his intrusion.

Straightening her back nervously she quipped, "How may I help you ?"

Klaus grinned at the mock respect in her voice and repeated himself. "Call me Klaus."

"Does she have a car... Elijah?" Klaus asked, ignoring Katherine's glare, and picking up the case file ahead of him as he took a moment to read the man's name on his badge.

"Uhmm, yeah," Elijah sputtered, perplexed as he flicked through the report pages. "She has a blue... _something_…"

"Hyundai...," the other woman provided, reading from the file.

"Bonnie," she introduced herself with a nod and he responded in like, his eyes stuck on the missing girls face on the big screen. "What does her car have to do with anything?"

"Well she had to get around somehow," Klaus answered, prying his eyes from the girl's photo and settling them on Bonnie. "Is her car at her house?"

Instantly everyone in the room flipped through the files frantically, searching in vain for the answer to his question, all the while Katherine stared at him suspiciously.

Condescendingly Klaus crossed his arms and in his most judgy voice declared, "I had heard such fine things about the NYPD."

"Look Mr. Mikael-...," Katherine rounded on him furiously

"Klaus."

"_Whatever_," she chided, "we got this case about an hour ago and you just interrupted our first briefing, so hold off on the judging for a while."

"And why the hell are you even here?" she added, frustrated when he only smirked harder and shrugged his shoulders.

"The FBI has sent me for to assist you," Klaus informed as he picked up another file from the table. Katherine slammed it back down.

"Well, tell them I don't _need_ any assistance," she sneered at him.

"Well too bad, you've got it," he digressed as he turned back to her dazed team.

"So any idea if her car is at home or she took it with her?"

"Uhm in the report of her house search they don't list the car," Bonnie said. "I'm guessing she took it"

"What are you thinking?" Elijah raised his tailored brow at him.

With a deep breath Klaus launched into his explanation, "Her car has to be somewhere, whoever took her wouldn't be stupid enough to take the car as well."

"Because we would be looking for it," Katherine supplied and Klaus nodded solemnly.

"Search the five mile radius around the bakery, her house, her day care centre and the houses where she babysits for her car."

"Wait a minute," Katherine piped up, but thoroughly ignoring her Klaus ploughed forward.

"And contact all the impound lots to see if they picked up any similar cars with the make and model in the past 48 hours..."

"This is my case," Katherine hissed, irked beyond belief. She pulled on Klaus arm to get him to look at her. "You are not the lead; I'll be giving the orders."

"Katherine...," Klaus began exasperatedly.

"Detective Pierce," she corrected sternly.

"_Whatever_," he rolled his eyes at her and stood tall, walking into her face and growled, "I'm from the FBI, where people are actually trained and talented and I've been degraded to this place. Trust me, no one is more pissed about me being _here_ than me."

Several pair of angry eyes turned on him at this comment, only fueling his superiority complex. Turning his face away from a seething Katherine he glanced up and down at the room and said, "I know you don't want me here; I know you don't like me, but frankly I couldn't care less. I am only here because I've been told this is a high priority case..."

"High priority?" some guy from the end of the room butted in; the same one who had made the crude comment on nannies and rich Upper East siders. "It's just some kidnapped woman," he added disbelievingly.

At this, Klaus lost his nonchalant attitude and narrowed his eyes threateningly to slits, reassuming Katherine position; palms flat on the table, leaning forward slowly with a fire in his eyes as he stared down at the man across the table. "She's just some kidnapped woman to you. To someone else, she might just be his _entire_ life. Disrespect the victim one more time and I'll send you somewhere a lot _worse_ than traffic duty."

Pulling himself to his full height and taking one last look at everyone's nervous faces he declared, "Love me or hate me; I don't give a _fuck_. I'm not leaving until I find Caroline Forbes."

* * *

He sat in his ram shackled hotel room, spread on the tiny chair with contents of several files spread ahead of him on the floor. Running a hand through his messed up hair he sighed for the umpteenth time, trying in vain to make sense of the data before him. Grabbing the whiskey bottle with his free hand and chugging it generously, he _re-re_-read the letter in his other hand. Finally with a shake of his head, he crumpled it and threw it away, turning his attention back to the report in front of him.

Occasionally his eyes would drift to his cell phone placed on the table, praying that any second now he would see the words 'Katherine Pierce NYPD' flashing on it; that she would call and tell him they found the car, that they could get a move on, take one step forward in the damn case.

Not bloody likely.

He knew very well that they wouldn't find the car so soon, they had a lot of areas to search and it would be well into the morning before they could get any lead to work. But he was restless, which is why he was sitting and drinking rather than sleeping, he had tried but he just couldn't sleep.

He was being haunted, and it wouldn't stop until he finished his task.

Placing his hands on his eyes and rubbing frantically to reduce the burning, he attempted to calm himself but it was of no use as his mind reeled back into another painful memory.

_A gush of the cool night breeze swept over his bare chest; roused from his deep sleep, he spread his tired muscles and turned over, adamantly keeping his eyes closed. His hand immediately extended outwards expecting to feel the soft supple skin of his bed partner, but instead it landed on the cold bed-sheet, forcing him to sit up with a jerk. _

_Rubbing his eyes thoroughly he searched for his missing companion and let out a sigh of relief as he got out of the comfort of the warm bed. He pulled on his boxers and walked towards the small woman crouched down on the floor, her back hunched and facing away from him. Her hair was a perfect example of after-sex hair and she was wearing only his discarded shirt. _

"_Come back to bed," he softly said, approaching her rocking figure. _

_She startled when he touched her back lightly, telling him that she had been extremely engrossed in whatever it is that she was doing. She sat on the cold floor with dozens of papers and photos ahead of her, a marker in her hand and a hot cup of coffee next to her. _

"_What are you doing, love?" Klaus asked in a concerned voice as he rubbed a hand soothingly down her back. He noticed how her hair stood on end at his touch. _

"_I can't sleep...," she muttered incoherently, picking up a printed piece of paper and bringing it dangerously close to her eye. She squinted her eyes as she tried to read it. "I just... my mind is boggled, I can't stop thinking..."_

"_I know."_

"_And I just... kept thinking… had to stop," she stumbled, flicking her eyes all around her little mess on the floor as if trying to memorize all of it in an instant. "I have to... I can't stop thinking – what if we—"_

"_Love, love," he said firmly, holding her shoulders and trying to get her to look at him. "I know you're worried, I know... I _understand_. Put it down." He gently eased a paper from her hand and placed it back on the floor using his muscles to turn her around to face him. _

"_I think I saw i-..."_

"_Look at me, look at me," he commanded and slowly she turned her baby blue eyes to his and he smiled despite knowing that he was only giving her false hope. "You need sleep, you need to rest."_

"_No, I can't...," she cried and he put his hands around her waist pulling her into him as she sobbed while spluttering her weak defenses._

"_Sshhh," he soothed in her ear, caressing her arm and lightly kissing her cheek. "You remember what I promised you... _remember_?" _

_Meekly, she nodded against him, nestling her face against his neck. _

"_Say it, love."_

"_I remember."_

"_I promised you, and I'm going to fulfill it understand?" he pledged and she nodded again, raising her head to look at him properly and give him the best smile she could muster in her frazzled state. _

"_Do you trust me?" he asked, running a hand down her smooth tear soaked cheek. _

"_Yes," she whispered without hesitation; he smiled in victory. _

"_Then come back to bed, Caroline."_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N- So here is chapter two! I wanted to get some things straight – this is a __**Klaroline**__ story for sure, but it has a lot of Katherine and as Klaus and Katherine are trying to find Caroline, they spend a lot of time together. I hope you will like Klaus and Katherine's snarky, relationship which btw is completely platonic! But I promise you will get lots of Klaroline feels even though she isn't here. And you will get loads and loads of flashbacks as their past is slowly explained. Please let me know if you liked it or even hated it! REVIEW tc..._

* * *

_9__th__ September._

_7:15 a.m_

Klaus groaned when the annoying ringing of his phone woke him up from his sleep. His two hours sleep. He had finally managed to go to sleep, though to be fair it was more passing out from all the alcohol consumption rather than going to sleep. Nonetheless, he had thankfully gotten some rest and he cursed whoever it was that disturbed him to the high heavens.

Holding his head in his hands and vowing yet again to never drink again, he thrashed around in his messy bed to find his phone. Finally locating it he answered absently and pressed it to his ear.

"What" he snapped

"We found her car. Thought you might want to know"

* * *

Katherine blinked rapidly in the blinding sun and lifted her hand to try to shield her face from the blistering heat. Squinting her eyes to look at her fellow officer crawling out of the blue Hyundai she asked "So, what did you find?"

The bald, diminutive examiner Masuka huffed and crossed his arms as he gave his report of the abandoned car "No sign of blood as of now, I'll be able to check with a black light when we get it back to the station. But even if there is blood it's only going to be very very little, a drop or so..."

"No bleach smell" Elijah said in assistance and he nodded at him.

"Or any of the other idiotic things people use to wipe blood smears" Masuka snorted "Blood always leaves a mark"

"Okay, what else?" Katherine urged eager to move on.

"Like I said no blood, at least not a lot which means..."

"She's alive"

"Well at least from the evidence in the car" He corrected "No receipts, photographs, visiting cards, bills, papers, anything. But I did find her driving license and a parking log dated 7th September 21:09 p.m"

"So she parked the car here at that time"

"I think this is where she was taken" Elijah piped up suddenly, kneeling by the open front door of the car causing Katherine and Masuka to walk up to him.

"Was it like this when you got here?" Elijah asked looking at Masuka.

"Yup. The front door was closed but yeah everything else was like this"

"She dropped her keys here" Elijah continued, standing up and pointing to the keys lying on the floor by the door.

"She went to open her door" Katherine murmured taking her keys out of her jean pocket and walking closer to the door, closing it, she pretended to insert the keys in the lock. Looking ahead at the reflecting image of her, and Elijah standing behind her she added "And saw something or someone behind her and dropped her keys" At that she dropped her keys and they fell right on top of Caroline's car keys.

"Or..." Elijah suggested moving forward and moving one arm around and over Katherine's neck, holding it there and moving his hand to cover her mouth in mock pretense "He grabbed her from behind and she dropped her keys"

"Either way..." Katherine said stepping out of Elijah's grasp "This is most probably where she was taken"

"Isolated parking lot on the highway" Masuka commented "Perfect place to kidnap someone, but why the hell would the girl be here to begin with?"

A black SUV came screeching to a halt a few feet away, from it a buzzing Klaus jumped out and meandered his way to them through all the yellow tape.

"What have we got?" Klaus asked curtly giving the car a glance before focusing his drowsy, red eyes on Katherine.

"How did you know where to come?" she demanded of him suddenly, putting one leg ahead of the other and cocking her hip to the side superiorly "You hung up before I could tell you where we found the car"

"Yes, exactly. I know. You never told me where it was" Klaus said unfazed and confidently "I had to call dispatch and they gave me the address"

While Klaus bent down to take a peek at the car from inside Katherine turned to Elijah with raised eyebrows. Understanding her silent question he shook his head from side to side and whispered "I did call it in"

"If you're done with your Klaus suspicion for the day" Klaus mocked sticking his head out of the car "Care to tell me what you've found?"

"Nothing conclusive from the car" Elijah informed him, while Katherine glared at Klaus "No sign of forced entry, no receipts, no indications of where she was taken, nothing. All we have is the time and date when we believe she was kidnapped"

"Yeah" Katherine concurred nodding her head and turned to face the car and pointed on the ground, directing his attention to where she was pointing "Car keys were like this when they found it, so it's probably where he took her"

"Grabbed her from behind and probably had his car waiting behind him... here" Elijah demonstrated walking a bit further to indicate the empty spot next to Caroline's car "Pushed her into the car and took off"

Klaus nodded solemnly, shifting on his feet and looking off into the distance with an almost pained look on his face. His palms visibly sweating as he rubbed them on his jeans, his eyes shrunken and flickering wildly as he let out an audible sigh and looked down at his feet.

"Are you alright?" Katherine asked somehow managing to sound concerned despite her obvious dislike of the man.

"Huh... what? Yeah I'm good" Klaus muttered incoherently and added when Katherine's brow only furrowed more at his half-hearted response "Didn't get much sleep last night"

"_Mmhmm_" Masuka chimed indicatively, shimmying in his spot "Ladies dig the FBI badge, especially the young ones"

Klaus looked at Masuka like he was the vilest creature he had come across in his 8 years as a law enforcement officer, with another pointed dirty look at the confused examiner he turned his gaze to Katherine and demanded "Who the fuck is this?"

"He's our medical examiner" Elijah said almost embarrassed at having any relation to Masuka whatsoever.

"Masuka T..."

"Don't care" Klaus dismissed and brought his focus back to the point, looking around at the many street lights in the parking lot he said "Did you ask to see the video footage"

"Yeah we did" Katherine sighed "Camera's don't work... so we have nothing"

"There has to be some reason why she came out here" Elijah reiterated "Maybe it's time we talk to her neighbors and colleagues..."

"Yeah you do that" Klaus said with a smile on his face and started walking towards the other exit of the parking lot "I'll go buy us some snacks" he added pointing at the supermarket on the opposite side of the road.

"Wait what" Katherine said incensed "You're going to buy snacks?"

With an overdramatic sigh Klaus stopped and turned on his heel, tilting his head and giving them all a pitying look he jibed "That's why you're what you are and I'm... well FBI. You see the supermarket, see that little black round thing outside it? You do your questioning I'll go get us real leads"

With an uncharacteristic stomp of her foot and an exaggerated 'hmmm' Katherine barked at Elijah as she ran behind Klaus "Meet up with Bonnie and go talk to Forbes's neighbors and her clients"

Satisfied with the nod Elijah gave her she sprinted to where Klaus was proudly striding towards the shop, with a smug smile on his face.

And rightly so.

The supermarket had a camera pointing right at the parking lot.

* * *

"I'm sorry... _what_?"

Klaus blinked stupidly, his face displaying his incredulity, Katherine mirroring his expression as they both stared at the store owner smiling across the counter at them. Despite his anger and disbelief of his unending string of bad luck he couldn't help but appreciate the owner's ability to smile while delivering them such news.

"Your store was robbed?" Katherine asked in confirmation and he nodded at her.

"Ah... uhm when?" she continued, suddenly stumped at the loss of a possibly fruitful lead.

"In the night of 7th September" the man replied in broken English and definite sub-continental accent.

"What time?" Katherine asked cringing her eyes almost as if she knew what he would say.

"Around nine thirty"

"It's pointless to ask" Katherine began fleetingly "But any chance they were dumb enough to not take the security tape?"

With a small sad smile the owner simply shook his head.

"Perfect" Klaus quipped slamming his hand on the counter "Did they take anything in particular? Except the bloody security footage" he added bitterly

"No, they only take alcohol, condoms, chips and other things" the man shrugged flashing his empty tooth at them "I give a complete list to the police who come that day"

"Thank you" Katherine said politely and followed a stumping Klaus out the door.

"It can't be a coincidence" he said whirling on her and walking backwards to his SUV as she followed him with a frown on her face.

"It _is_ a coincidence" she corrected opening the passenger side of the car and raising her brows at him as he slid into the driver's seat.

"Oh come on" he argued "The only camera that could tell us what happened, robbed? A coincidence?"

"Marts like these are robbed all the time Klaus. The fact that it happened on the same night, and similar time as Caroline's kidnapping is just coincidence" she pressed fastening her seatbelt while he pushed the car into reverse at horrifying speeds and took off not even caring to glance at his seatbelt.

"And the fact that it looks directly onto our crime scene?" he challenged swerving the car onto the thankfully empty highway.

"Also a coincidence" she said sounding a little less sure than before.

With a snort Klaus turned back to concentrate on the road, all the while knowing that this was no coincidence.

* * *

"You're not going to believe what we found"

Bonnie ran up from behind them to walk alongside Katherine as she rattled off, flitting through the papers in her hand.

"What?" Katherine asked excited at the how excited Bonnie was.

"She has a boyfriend" Bonnie declared like she had just made the greatest discovery since penicillin and turned around to smile at Katherine and Klaus as they entered the conference room.

"What?" Katherine said skeptically "The earlier report mentioned no boyfriend, and they spoke to her friends..."

"That's it. She doesn't have any friends, everyone we spoke to said she was a loner and awkward and just did her work and didn't interact with anyone"

"Yeah yeah" Katherine nodded her head picking up a file and shaking it thoroughly "Exactly as the earlier case report said"

"Yes, but we spoke to someone they didn't" Elijah chided from behind them, with a similarly vain smile "One of her neighbors, a Edna Hemmingway, old woman who lived a floor below her told us about her boyfriend"

"Who is it?" Katherine asked

"We didn't get a name" Bonnie said "But the woman said that one afternoon about three weeks ago she smelt smoke coming from the apartment upstairs – Caroline's apartment – and went up to see what the issue was. It was a weekday which means no one else was home so no one else knew about this man. She walked up and saw Caroline and a half-naked man coughing outside her apartment"

"She told them to call the fire department, but the man told her it was just a cooking mishap and they would deal with the smoke"

"Ok... ok this is good. We got a description?" Katherine asked with a skip in her tone, glancing suspiciously at a suddenly quiet and pissed Klaus.

At this Elijah's face split into a wide grin while Bonnie rolled her eyes "Well according to horny old Edna..."

"Elijah!" Katherine scolded though her lips quirked slightly at the mirth in his voice

"He was and I quote '_quite a strapping young man, blonde hair, green eyes and athletic type_' and again I quote '_with nice flexing muscles you wouldn't mind touching'_" Elijah digressed as Bonnie controlled her laughter and even Katherine smiled.

Klaus had now gone into sulking mode.

"She got her year's quota done from seeing him half naked" Elijah added impishly causing Bonnie to snort.

Katherine let out a small laugh before readjusting her face back to its serious business look and asked "Anything else?

"Yes Edna also said that the man was definitely rich. She kept an eye on them when they left, and she saw them both get into quote '_some fancy sports car'_" Bonnie added back to her professional self.

"Sports car doesn't mean he's rich" Klaus chipped in, the first time he had spoken in a while and Katherine just spared him a glance before turning back to Elijah who had already started talking again.

"You see where I'm going with this. Simple, sweet babysitter Caroline and some Greek God- ish rich guy sleeping with her?"

"Nothing explains missing girl like a rich suspicious boyfriend" Katherine said nodding her head as she went over the different strategies she could implement now.

"We're wasting time with this..." Klaus began but Bonnie cut him off instantly, a slightly disturbing smile on her face, clearly telling Klaus that this was her first big case.

"We still haven't told you the best part?" she said giddily as she and Elijah left the room to go get something.

"What?" Katherine yelled after them as they walked out of the room.

"It makes sense" Katherine said more to herself than Klaus, though he was listening intently "She's a simple, ordinary girl, men like that are never interested in women like her. And plus..."

"You're making assumptions out of thin air" Klaus accused, the annoyed streak clear in his voice.

"No not assumptions. Just making a general observation" Katherine defended instantly, turning to face a seething Klaus.

"You're making judgments" he snarled, invading her private space and walking into her face like it was his god given right.

"What is your problem?" she said infuriated "We get a lead you have a problem; we don't get a lead you have a problem."

"You're wasting time" he repeated, thumping his hand on the table to add emphasis "This boyfriend thing is useless, we need to find a way to get that tape..."

"I will follow _every_ lead like I was taught to, Klaus" Katherine hissed angrily, this time invading his private space and not retreating when he glowered at her murderously.

"I want to finish this so I can get the fuck out of this hell hole" he muttered under his breath, taking a step away from her.

Letting out a dark laugh she barked "By all means, leave. No one wants you here"

Before he could tell her exactly how badly he wanted to leave Elijah and Bonnie came hustling into the room again, turning Katherine's attention from him onto them.

"Alright, well I think this is the boyfriend" Elijah began immediately placing a photo of a man on the table "He's one of the father's of the kids she babysits on the Upper East Side. Joseph Moriarty."

"Of the Moriarty chain of-" Katherine asked, her eyes wide in wonder.

"Of the Moriarty chain of hotels" Elijah finished for her nodding his head.

Katherine and Klaus bend down to take a good look at the man as Elijah continued "Blonde hair, green eyes, owns not just one but in fact 4 _fancy sport cars_"

"Got this off the internet" Bonnie smirked slamming a full body picture of the man on the table "Not an expert, but I'd say he's a _strapping young man_... so to speak"

"He's married to another high class socialite; they have a pre-nup but..." Elijah added but was cut short when Katherine cut him off.

"But there's a nice settlement in it for her, if he's caught cheating"

"A _very_ nice settlement" Bonnie emphasized raising her brows indicatively.

"Nothing explains missing girl like a married, rich socialite boyfriend" Elijah said smugly, tweaking Katherine's earlier statement appropriately.

"This is bullshit" Klaus yelled before anyone could say anything "Rich, inheritance scumbags like him don't kidnap, they throw money and get rid of their problems."

"Caroline doesn't seem to be the kind of person who listens to money" Bonnie said confidently "If she was with him for the money, we would find evidences of that in her house, lifestyle etc"

"And maybe he did try to buy her off but she didn't budge" Elijah supplied in support "We see this every third day, rich man preying on young innocent women. And the poor things actually fall for them and then _this_ happens"

"I like this" Katherine said positively, ignoring Klaus's scoff of disapproval "He's number one on my list right now, we need to..."

"Listen to me, you will just waste..."

"No, you listen to me" Katherine whirled around to determinedly face Klaus "You are here to _assist_ me, this is _my_ case. I will do as I see fit, you don't like it? Sit in a corner and sulk. Let me do my job"

"My way" she added and turned back to Elijah "Come on, find out when are how soon we can talk to this _strapping young man_"

"Bullshit" Klaus repeated again kicking his chair before stomping out of the room.

"What is his problem?" Bonnie asked curiously

"I don't know" Katherine lamented, suspiciously surveying an ill natured Klaus as he shoved aside some rookie to get into the elevator.

But she was determined on finding out exactly that.

* * *

Alcohol was his best friend.

He told himself that for the 10th time as he poured his next drink and slammed it back in one go. Shoving his head in his hands, Klaus tried to block the memory coming screaming back to him.

"_Would you like another drink?" _

_Klaus startled from his reverie and turned from the window to look at the smiling waitress. _

"_Uhm no..." he said after a moment of thought "I've had quite enough" _

_He looked back down at his watch and out into the pouring streets. _

_Two hours. He had been waiting for two hours._

_He was beginning to get worried._

"_I'm sorry" the waitress said with a genuine smile and he absently smiled back until he realized what she meant. _

"_No. I haven't been stood up" he blurted and she looked at him like he was a lost puppy "Can you just get me the check?"_

"_I'm sure you weren't, I'll be right back" she lied and walked off. _

_He walked up the stairs to his apartment slowly, debating with every new step if he really wanted to know what awaited him upstairs. With trepidation in his step and fear in his heart he opened his front door to find an empty house. Almost as if he knew where to look he found the note stuck to the refrigerator door. _

_The note fell from his hand after he read it for the 6__th__ time, he cried for the first time in a decade then and buried his head in his hands trying to figure out what to do now. _

_**I'm so sorry to do this to you. But if I had told you what I was doing, you wouldn't have let me out of your sight. I have to do this. I need to do this. I'm sorry Klaus.**_

_**I love you. **_

_**Yours forever,**_

_**Caroline.**_

* * *

_****A/N- So cookies and a chance to request a scene or drabble of their choice to whoever recognizes the show from where I took the name of the medical examiner! _

_Oh and also next chapter is the first time we get a look at Caroline in present times - get ready for dark things! Please let me know what you guys thought!_

__Follow me on tumblr if you want - I changed to **Klaussdick** (hehe)


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N- Here you go guys. I'm sorry for the delay, I had surgery then exams! But I am back on the writing wagon so hopefully you can get regular updates. Well to apologize for the long wait, a slightly longer chapter and our first look at Caroline in present times! Please do let me know what you guys think, I love to hear them! REVIEW tc..._

* * *

**Chapter 3.**

* * *

"Sir we have a few questions about Ms. Caroline Forbes"

Joseph Moriarty pulled at the front lapels of his jacket as he held out a hand asking Katherine to take a seat. Klaus had already spread himself over a three-setter without an invitation while Bonnie stood lamely by the door. With an air of superiority, the heir of a staggering amount of money and assets settled himself into his plush office chair and fixed the detectives ahead of him with a skeptical gaze.

"I thought my wife already spoke to you about this?" he inquired pointedly, maintaining an accusatory tone to his voice.

"Yes we know" Katherine said firmly "But we needed to speak to you as well. Privately... without your wife present."

At this Klaus visibly rolled his eyes causing Katherine to shift in her seat purposely and hit his foot with her heels. He knew with absolute certainty that this little goose chase of her's wasn't going to go anywhere. To any adequately trained investigator it was clear this was no cliché rich man – young nanny case. But Katherine deemed it necessary to follow every lead and he promised to tag alone.

But he hadn't promised to behave.

"I don't understand" Moriarty said, weaving his fingers together and placing his elbows on the table. Staring them down from behind his shiny desk he added "Why would this have to be done without my wife?"

"Well" Katherine began fleetingly, crossing her legs and putting her toned long legs on display. Not a few seconds later a sinister smile appeared on her face as she ploughed on "I felt you couldn't be so... truthful with her present. And we need the truth Mr. Moriarty."

Klaus held in his impressed smirk and nod when he realized what she had done. Though a little rough around the edges and a bit too ethical for his tastes, Katherine was a smart woman. She had purposely put her considerably attractive assets on display to see how Moriarty reacted. Any man faced by two suspicious police officers would be too frazzled to sneak in a downright hungry look at some bare flesh. But that's exactly what Joseph Moriarty had done. His green eyes scaled down Katherine's leg from where her skirt ended at the knees to the bright red nail-polish on her toe nails.

Mr. Moriarty would fit perfectly in the category women labeled 'Douche-bag'.

"I have no idea what you're going on about" Moriarty exclaimed condescendingly.

"What was your relationship like with Ms. Forbes?" Katherine asked in a crisp voice, losing her polite tone and gaining a strictly business one.

Moriarty laughed as he leaned forward in his seat and commented "She was my daughter's nanny, I don't exactly know what you mean?"

"We found your jacket in her apartment," Bonnie interceded, stepping forward and placing a photo on the table for him to see. It was the snap of an evidence bag with a faded leather jacket inside. "It has your initials on it – J.M. Is that your jacket?"

"Uhm yes" he replied, still unsure of where they were going with this.

"How did it get in her apartment?" Katherine asked uncrossing her legs again, and this time the now certified douche bag didn't spare her legs once glance. His attention too focused on sweating and wringing his fingers nervously as he let out another awkward laugh.

"She was sitting Alexis one night, and fell sick."

"Sick?" Katherine repeated and he nodded his head in confirmation.

"She felt dizzy and she was shivering, so I offered to drive her home. She shouldn't have been driving in that state, I-I offered to take her to the hospital but she turned me down. Said she was fine, just needed a little sleep." he rattled off nervously.

"Ok then?" Katherine urged.

"She was cold, I gave her the jacket I was wearing – _that_ jacket," He explained pointing at the photo "And that was the last time she sat for us, so it's still with her"

"And that's all?" Bonnie asked surprised and Katherine nodded her head.

"What do you mean?" Moriarty challenged in a snarl.

"Joseph – can I call you Joseph?" Katherine asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"No you may not" he hissed back at her, but she paid no need as she continued.

"So Joseph, what I think happened is this. You're a handsome man, Caroline's a pretty girl and from what I hear your wife's botoxed in all the wrong places. One thing led to another and you helped yourself to a little nanny but... something went wrong."

Moriarty's eyes reduced to slits as Katherine charted out her suspicions. His body language and expression clearly threatening but Katherine remained unfazed as she pressed on.

"Something that would make your pre-nup void. Like, let's say, evidence of an affair?" she trailed off intently "Because we all know how much money your wife makes in that scenario. Maybe Caroline wanted to talk; maybe she was getting out of control, whatever. Point is she became a threat to you and suddenly she wasn't there anymore."

With a final smirk and confident look, Katherine relaxed back into her chair and watched as Moriarty went from mad to livid.

"Are you bloody mad?" he spluttered "I was not sleeping with Caroline"

"Do not lie, Mr. Moriarty" Bonnie warned stepping forward and placing her palms on his desk, displaying prowess Klaus didn't know she possessed. "We'll find out eventually."

"We always do." Katherine added, crossing her arms and sending him a chilling smirk.

"Okay fine." he surrendered, actually throwing his hands up in the air "I'll talk!"

With a smile like she had just won the presidential elections, Katherine made herself comfortable as she said "Continue."

* * *

"Do you need to hit something or what?" Katherine asked, irritated as she took in Klaus's sulking face and exasperated sigh for the umpteenth time.

"Why, are you offering?" he spat back in a venomous voice, a sour smile on his face, causing her to scowl at him and force him to a halt. His body swaying as she used her entire torso strength to bring his striding body to a stop, a hand on his chest she snarled back into his face.

"You need an attitude adjustment, Mr. Mikaelson" she purposely added knowing how much it irked him to be addressed as such.

"And you need to be sent back to the academy, Officer Katherine" he jibed knowing how much it irked her to be referred to as officer.

"Ok stop it! Both of you!" Bonnie yelled frustrated throwing her hands up in the air "Seriously, just stop or stay away from each other."

She was beyond all their ego hassles and they hadn't stopped arguing since they had left Moriarty's office.

Ignoring Bonnie completely, Klaus brushed past her and grabbed the freshly made coffee pot right out of a rookie's hand. Pouring himself a cup he turned to a judgy eyed Katherine and spoke "Are you happy now? You wasted precious hours in questioning that fu-"

"What are you talking about?" Katherine interrupted, walking up to him and handing the pot back to the dazed rookie, her tone clearly signifying that she was starting to doubt Klaus's sanity "It wasn't a waste, we found out about Caroline and h-..."

"Oh good you guys are back" Elijah voice interrupted them as he half-ran up to them with a smile on his face and a file in his hands.

"Not now!" Klaus and Katherine said at the same time, barely sparing him a glance.

"You want to know this," Elijah argued "Trust me."

"What?" Klaus growled, turning his attention from an incensed Katherine to Elijah.

"So I sort of deviated from what you asked me to do," he began guiltily, steadily ignoring Katherine's accusatory glance and looking at Klaus "I dug into a few things, and you're going to be very happy with this."

"What did you get?" Klaus asked curiously.

"I know a way to find the stolen videotape from the mart on the highway." Elijah declared proudly, jutting his chin out and a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"Wonderful." Klaus said without a trace of sarcasm as he walked into the conference room and Bonnie followed him.

Katherine pulled Elijah back by his elbow and whispered soft enough so the others wouldn't listen "I told you to go talk to her neighbors if they had seen Moriarty with-..."

"I know I know." Elijah explained "But I kept thinking about what Klaus was saying and I got an idea and I went with it..."

With an overdramatic sigh and scowl Katherine left him with a last accusing line before walking behind the other's into the room "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on your side, I'm always on your side" Elijah yelled at her back mischievously, his hands spread out like a defense mechanism as he followed her in.

Once inside, Klaus slammed the door shut and focused his sole attention on Elijah as he began his explanation.

"So I was interviewing some of the neighbors but I couldn't stop thinking about how the best lead would be that stolen tape," Elijah began, standing on the opposite end of the table as Klaus nodded at his every word "So, I went down to the station and spoke to the officer who handled the robbery filing and everything. I asked him if they were closer to finding anyone."

"But he said without the tape it was impossible, so I asked to see the list of things they had stolen. The owner had just emptied the cash drawer a day ago so there was only a hundred dollars cash that they took and other things from the store like," Elijah took a pause to inhale deeply and picked out a paper from his file and began reading off of it "Alcohol, chips, some normal food, soda cans, chocolates, condoms, tampons..."

"Tampons?" Bonnie exclaimed disbelievingly, her voice a few octaves higher.

"I have no clue!" Elijah answered, with a smile on his face but still not looking up from the list "Now this baffled me too; medical supplies."

"Medical supplies?" Katherine repeated, her brow furrowed and her eyes glazed over as she contemplated the new information. Klaus tapped his foot impatiently, waiting to get to the part about the tape.

"But here's the kicker, the officer missed it – they also stole an entire bunch of lottery tickets from the shop." Elijah concluded in finality, a glorious smile on his face like he had just won the gold medal.

"Yes!" Klaus quipped enthusiastically as he punched the air in victory, taking a full twirl and plopping onto the chair with a similar smile on his face.

"What?" Bonnie demanded obviously lost.

"Lottery tickets have serial numbers" Katherine explained patiently "And those numbers are noted down when someone cashes in a winning ticket"

"And it seems that lady luck is on our side." Elijah added triumphantly "I contacted the lottery company to see if any of the stolen tickets had been cashed in... and they were."

"One of the tickets was cashed in..."

"How much did it win?" Klaus mocked, ready for a ridiculous amount.

"50 dollars." Elijah snorted and despite her bad mood even Katherine smiled.

"Well thankfully they were idiots." Bonnie joked.

"So I sent uniforms over to the centre where they were cashed and got their security tape. We got the guy on camera. We are running it through the regular offenders list and should come up with a name soon." Elijah supplied and Katherine nodded in acceptance.

It made Klaus happier than she liked to see, but it was progress in the case and that's all Katherine cared about.

"You Elijah," Klaus said in an ominous tone, getting off the table and staring down at the frowning man, while everyone else watched curiously almost sure that he was about to say something horrible "You do not belong _here_. You should be with us, in the FBI"

Katherine rolled her eyes visibly as Elijah crinkled his nose and politely replied, "A _good job_ or _thank you_ would have worked too."

With a condescending snort Klaus collected his jacket and said "That _was_ my thank you"

"Call me once you hit anything in the databases." he ordered as he strolled out of the room, for the first time in days a smile on his face.

They were one stop closer.

* * *

He sat in the tiny balcony of the motel room; a beer in his hand and a patented distant expression on his face. He had been wearing that same look for days now and it didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

His eyes squinted slightly as he took in the faint light of the setting sun and re-checked his phone. He knew they would call once they identified the man who stole the tape. He, as usual, was impatient.

With a swig from the almost empty bottle he reflected on the events of the day. It had begun bleakly but it ended brilliantly. He really _really_ despised Joseph Moriarty and today's conversation with him only cemented his feelings.

His eyes closed in pain and nostalgia as another reason why he despised the man came rushing back to him.

_He stood by the window like a creeper; his left hand clenched into a tight fist, his other hand holding the drape slightly open, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed in annoyance as he looked on at the conversation occurring on the street. _

_He knew something was different when he heard an unfamiliar car pull up near her building; it was not the sound of her Hyundai. And just as he predicted it turned out to be a shiny Rolls Royce. He felt an unexpected pang in his chest when her long legs stepped out of the car and spent a good ten minutes talking to the elaborately suited and posh man. _

_It unsettled him; both the image and the dormant feelings it stirred in him. It felt almost like jealousy._

_Something he hadn't felt in years. _

_Caroline's hand had barely grasped onto the doorknob as she fished for her keys when the door flew open and she jumped back in surprise. A hand on her thumping heart and her eyes closed when she saw that it was only Klaus. _

"_What are you doing here?" she asked, moving around him and walking into her apartment. _

_Klaus took a second to notice the blush on her cheeks, and the way she nervously fidgeted with her hands before he said "Uhmm, well you were getting sick when we spoke yesterday, I-I just wanted to check on you."_

"_Oh" she said, turning to look at him for a second but turning her gaze away instantly. Reaching for a cabinet above her she stretched to grab onto a mug. "Well I'm fine. It's just a little flu. Did you break into my house?" she added, as an afterthought. _

"_Well, I didn't want to wait outside your house and... well you told me where you keep the spare key -" he babbled but she stopped him with a laugh. _

"_It's ok," she assured "I was just asking, if I can't trust you... then who?"_

"_Yeah" he said absently, shaking his head before blurting "So who was that?" _

"_Huh?"_

"_Fancy pants with the Rolls Royce."_

"_Oh," she laughed "Uhm that was Alexis's father."_

"_Wow" Klaus said surprised "I didn't know Upper East siders nannies got pick up and drop service."_

_Caroline turned her hard, offended eyes on him as she said "I take my car you know that. I was sick; he offered to drive me home."_

"_Oh," Klaus quipped as he moved to the other side "Nice jacket. J.M?"_

_Again Caroline laughed and he noticed how color rushed to her cheeks and it made him want to rip off that man's head "Yeah I was cold, he gave me his jacket. Joseph Moriarty." she explained and watched as Klaus went from nodding his head to staring off into the distance, deep in thought. _

_She handed him the cup of tea and their fingers brushed briefly causing her to retract her hand instantly. He took the cup from her and only now noticed how close they were, he could feel the heat radiating from her body. _

_They had been tip-toeing around each other for a week now. It had gone from aloof to awkward in sixty seconds flat. And despite the rational, sensible voice in the back of his head telling him to leave this instant, he couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to stay away from her. And he was running out of reasons to drop by at her place every day. _

_She had been feeling it too, the confusion that clouded her mind every time she was near him. And yet somehow things seemed clearer around him rather than away from him. Or maybe it was just her subconscious telling her she wanted to be near him. But they were at a stand-still, their relationship stagnant at sort of/forced friends._

_And the 'ifs and buts' of changing that, boggled her mind. _

"_I'm tired." she said suddenly, not sure how or even why she said that. Instantly she regretted it when she saw the flash of disappointment on Klaus's face. He mistook her words to mean that she was physically tired, whereas she meant emotionally tired. She was tired of dancing around the subject – she wanted to know what they were right this moment. _

"_I'll leave then." he said sadly and moved to leave when she pulled him back with all her force. _

"_No.. that's not what I meant." _

"_Then what did you mean?" he asked curiously, his hand instinctively moving to tuck a curl behind her ear. _

"_I-I... he kissed me!" she blurted, turning her wide blue eyes on his aghast ones. _

"_What?" his hand froze on her cheek and he instantly pulled it back, with an almost disgusted look at her, he added "Why?_

"_I-I don't know" she explained lamely "He said that he likes me, that he thinks I'm beautiful and then he kissed me..."_

"_I didn't know you were one of those special benefit nannies." he hissed venomously before he could stop himself, and cursed his loose tongue the second the words left his mouth. _

_Her hand made contact with his cheek in one swift movement before the waterworks started. _

_With his eyes closed in shame and his hand on the stinging spot where she had slapped him he said "I'm sorry."_

_She looked up at him with her teary eyes for any sign of mirth, but only saw truthfulness his eyes. _

"_I'm sorry Caroline. I didn't mean that at all. I shouldn't have said that."_

"_Then why did you?" she challenged, wiping her tears on the back of her hand. _

"_Because I am jealous." he confessed stepping closer to her and she immediately stepped back. _

_She smiled, actually smiled and hung her head with an exasperated sigh. "He is a handsome, sweet man, and his wife is a monster but –" she paused as if for effect and looked up at Klaus as he held an anticipatory breath, "I told him I was already with someone."_

"_I told him I was with you."_

"_Yo- you did what?" he asked in a surprised tone, trying to hide the ghost of a smile that began to creep up his lips. _

"_I don't know what happened Klaus," she muttered, not protesting when he moved forward and boxed her in between the kitchen counter and his body "I just... when he kissed me I felt guilty. Like I was cheating on you or something, and that is ridiculous." _

"_Why?"_

"_We aren't even together." she exclaimed, trying to avoid his eyes. Those eyes always did things to her. _

"_Then why did you say that?" he challenged, repeating her words and she finally turned to look at him. _

"_Because you're more than just a friend Klaus," he absolutely loved the way his name rolled off her tongue. "I don't know how I could have survived this whole time without you..."_

_She jerked slightly when his hand rested on her hip and the other tangled in her hair, pulling her closer to him. _

"_What are you doing?" she squeaked, her body instantly melting into his. _

"_Turning your lie into the truth." he simply said. _

_And then his lips met hers in a frenzied passion. At the moment she let him into her bedroom and heart Caroline knew her life had taken an unexpected turn. _

_Somehow, somewhere in between his hands kneading her thighs and his tongue slithering over her breasts, he realized that his supposed professional relationship with Caroline had just crossed the threshold into personal. _

_Very very personal._

* * *

Two thousand one hundred... two thousand one hundred and one... two thousand one hundred and two... two thousand one hundred and three.

At one thousand she had been mouthing the words to herself. But now, her energy was spent – two thousand one hundred and four minutes without food and water had made it impossible for her to make a noise. Any movement of her body hurt her, any sound even that of a moan or whimper burned her throat.

Screaming was out of question.

It was her screaming and rebellious tactics that got her into this place to begin with.

A tiny, minuscule cell. Not long enough for her to lie down and not tall enough for her to sit. She was crouched in an awkward position, her spine bent and her legs folded in the knees. It hurt. Everything hurt.

But now it was numb, everything was numb.

Two thousand one hundred and five... two thousand one hundred and six... two thousand one hundred and seven... two thousand one hundred and eight.

Now she could only mentally count in her head. It was the only way she could keep track of how long she had been in here.

Two thousand one hundred and nine minutes.

Her feet touched the strong iron rods, but they weren't far apart for her to push through. She might have been able to attempt to pick the lock, like she had been taught – but she was too tired.

And there was no light in her cell.

Pure darkness. Pitch black, she couldn't even see her hand if she held it in front of her face.

She needed light, she needed water, she needed food.

She needed _Klaus._

Caroline willed herself not to cry; it would only weaken her further and pushed her thoughts away. And began counting again.

Two thousand one hundred and ten... two thousand one hundred and eleven... two thousand one hundred and twelve... two thousand one hundred and thirteen.

Suddenly a creaking noise hit her ears and she straightened up as much as she could, her head hitting the ceiling of the cell and her nails scraping on the dirty, slimy floor.

All she could rely on was her sense of sound, and it told her that someone was outside her cell door.

"Who is it?" she croaked, hoping that it was someone to save her.

"Caa-roline" a voice sang devilishly.

Instantly she backed into her cell, recognizing the voice as that of her captor. Her breath ragged and her will breaking as she cried, controlling her urge to sob and beg to him to spare her.

"I'm coming inside Caa-roline." he said in the same sweet voice and she remained silent.

Slowly, through the mere outline of his head she realized he was right in front of her now. Crippled with fear she remained frozen in her state. A hand extended to hover over her face, turning her face away she closed her eyes, dreading his hands on her.

"Do you want this?" he quipped wafting something over to her face.

She growled, like an animal when the smell of sweet, beautiful delicious cake hit her nostrils.

"How about some water?" the man taunted, fidgeting around a little until she heard the splattering sound of water hitting the floor.

Like a snake, she slithered forward towards him, towards the food and water he bought with him.

Yes she was strong, but no not that strong.

"Ah ah ah!" he jibed, grabbing her by the throat tightly. She spluttered, her hands flying to his shoulders trying to pry his fingers from choking her.

"You've been a bad girl Caroline" the man hissed in her face and numbly, overcome by her hunger she nodded her head.

"Say it!" he yelled, his maniacal voice reverberating through the stone walls.

"Yes Master." she managed to strangle out, and he let her go instantly.

She gave in. She did what she had promised she never would. She heeded to his demands.

Because that was the only way he would keep her alive.

"Do you want some light, hmm?" he asked, his lips ghosting over her ears.

"Yes master" she said in her politest tone.

Suddenly he was gone and she was terrified he had left her again. But then a bottle plopped in front of her and she dove towards it. Wrenching the cap away, throwing it aside she gulped the water down, not caring how much fell over her body.

The food came next, placed in front of her and she descended on it like a vulture on an abandoned carcass.

She ate, finally ate like a mongrel for the first time in 36 hours.

Her eyes blinded when her captor opened the small window outside, light streaming into the little cell.

Her eyes stung but she didn't have time to dwell on it. She could hear him crawl near her, his hands grabbing her shoulders and slamming her against the wall behind her. Her head spinning with the force of the impact, feeling the faint trickle of blood dampening her hair she let out a tiny whimper. Everything was a blur as he mouthed his last question to her before leaving.

"Will you behave from now on?" his yellow teeth bit the air as he let out a small laugh.

With a defeated sigh she said "Yes Master"

There was only one thought in her head as she collapsed into a crying ball in the cell.

_Hurry up Klaus._

* * *

_A/N- I am already done writing chapter 4 and let me tell you, it has some dark themes as you just saw. Nothing TOO extreme but it will be dark as well. Oh and next chapter get ready for sexy Klaus, some sweet klaroline, some revelations and someone is getting shot!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N- Update! I know it's slower than usual but do not worry, I am going to finish this story since it is short and I already know everything that is happening! I want to thank everyone for their reviews, I will reply to all personally soon. I hope you guys like this chapter, a lot of Klaroline feels, some information is revealed. REVIEW tc..._

Double thanks to **Candis** and **Lulu** for helping me out with this fic.

* * *

**Chapter 4.**

* * *

_9__th__ September._

_23:15 p.m_

"Are you sure this is the address?" Klaus asked redundantly, for the fifth time.

Sighing in frustration Katherine merely nodded and turned her gaze back out the tinted windows of Klaus's SUV.

"It's been an hour," he chided again, slamming his palm on the steering wheel.

"Yes, I know," Katherine said with a condescending air as she once again moved to the closed garage door. "What are they even doing in a garage so late?"

"Car repair shop at day and poker joint at night," Klaus said wisely, resting his forehead on the window and fixing his gaze on the garage door.

He had been yanked out of his brief twenty-two minute nap when Elijah had called to inform him of his findings. They had identified one man in the shop and traced him back through his previous offenses to the car repair shop he was currently staring at. He had wanted to come here and speak to them alone but Katherine has insisted on tagging along, despite his best effort to send her away. He wanted to do this his way – which was dirty and fast.

He wasn't going to be held back now.

He had lost his patience and along with it his ruse of the smart, snarky and withdrawn FBI agent. He didn't have time.

_She_ didn't have time.

He was going to become the animal he was.

An animal on the hunt.

When the clock in his fancy car hit two AM Klaus was on the edge of complete insanity, they had been waiting for hours and no one had walked out of the garage yet. Katherine suggested calling for back-up but he instantly turned it down, only adding to her bafflement. But he didn't want these men arrested, he knew what would happen if they got arrested.

They would sit like a block of stone for hours. And then demand for their lawyers. By the time they would get the warrant to search their properties and acquire the security footage they stole, it would be hours, maybe even day.

Time was not on their side. Every second ticking away was every second that Caroline got further away from him. He knew what he had to do, and he also knew Katherine wasn't going to like it.

"That's it," he exclaimed, hastily tugging at his seat belt. Whipping it off in one harsh motion, he practically leapt out of the car and started walking – no striding – towards the garage.

Katherine, quickly rushing out of her seat, followed him as she spoke as softly as she could, yet still ensuring that he heard her, "What are you doing Klaus?"

"Drawing them out," he said matter of factly, coming to a stop a few inches from the closed door, looking around for anyone in the vicinity.

"How?" Katherine mouthed, coming to stand next to him. "You refused uniforms, we can't barge in their alone, and we don't have a warrant to enter t-"

"Like I said," he said turning to her, his face sporting a wolfish grin that gave her the chills, "we get them to come to us."

With those last words, he took two steps away from her and shoved his hand in his left coat pocket. With one clean movement his gun was out of his pocket and aimed at the cloudless sky. On instinct Katherine moved back at the sight of the gun, the words of reprimand barely reaching the tip of her tongue when the sound of a shot reverberated through the quiet night.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?" Katherine hissed as she tugged furiously on his arm.

Before Klaus could reply, they both heard the frantic shuffling of chairs behind the door. Creaking it open, a man stepped out of the garage and looked from Katherine and Klaus to the surrounding area.

"Did you hear that?" he asked in a hushed, definite Latino accent.

"Yeah," Klaus said conversationally, his gun hidden back inside his jacket. Moving forward closer to the man Katherine now recognized as the guy who had cashed in the stolen lottery ticket, Klaus spoke again in a neutral tone. "Sounded like a gun, eh?"

"Yeah...," the man replied as two other men stepped out of the door to join him.

Shaking her head thoroughly as if to get rid of her bafflement, the police officer in her finally took charge as she focused her eyes over to the little table inside the garage; many opened and half empty bottle of liquor, playing cards spread atop the table, poker chips and one lonesome Glock lying on the side.

"Do you have a permit for that?" she asked authoritatively, putting her hands on her hips, consciously closer to her holstered gun as Klaus eye's drifted to the gun as well.

Instantly the man closest to them, whose name they learnt was Randy, became suspicious. He took two careful steps away, surveying them both with raised brows and dislike clear on his face. He spoke with a growl, "You two cops?"

"Oh god no," Klaus butt in, almost shivering at the thought. "She's a cop, I'm from the FBI."

"What the fuck does the FBI want from us?" Another man behind him demanded.

"Where were you three on-..." Katherine began, following the rulebook but Klaus interrupted her rudely.

"I have a proposition for you," he said, smirking like a child on Christmas.

"Oh yeah...," the biggest of the men, two hundred pounds of pure muscle and steel stepped ahead, a menacing challenge written across his face, "and what proposition is that?"

"Well," Klaus said, undeterred by the man's impressive guns and murderous looks, "you give me what I want and I let you all live."

* * *

They were backed up in the dark, deserted alley next to the garage. Katherine's back to the wall as she attempted to grasp the events unfolding before her.

The past two minutes had been a haze. Before she knew what was happening or could try to get any say whatsoever; Klaus had swiftly unhinged the gun from her hip and claimed possession over it as he hustled the three crooks inside the alley. His face set in a dangerous smile, his eyes ablaze with determined intent as he pointed both his and her gun at the men, herding them away from any possible prying eyes.

"What do you want?" the biggest of the three asked. "I'm not intimidated by you."

"Maybe so," Klaus replied coolly, "but I'm the one holding two guns."

"What the fuck do you want man?"

Before Klaus could answer, the smallest and evidently most weak-hearted of the group cried out helplessly, "We don't have any information, I _swear_... we're just smalltime-..."

Klaus laughed, he actually laughed when the other two men elbowed their partner in crime to stop his outburst.

"In fact you have exactly what I want right now," Klaus informed them firmly, keeping one gun pointed at the big, fearless man knowing he was the only one capable of overpowering him, while he flitted Katherine's gun between the other.

"And what is that?" Randy asked, his voice cracking a bit as the fear crept up on him.

"You robbed a highway store on the night of September seventh," Klaus stated, keeping his arms steady as he let his words sink into the trio in front of him.

"You've got the wrong idea man," Randy said, his left eye twitching unceremoniously as the muscle of the group nodded his head solemnly.

"You cashed in the lottery ticket idiot," Klaus chided. "The one you stole, they have serial numbers and we traced them to you, so you can quit pretending."

"What do you want?"

The words left the brawny, intimidating man's mouth one syllable at a time, clearly indicating his incapacity to be unsettled. No less than his adversary, Klaus ploughed on. "I don't have any interest in the robbery. All I want is that tape you stole."

At this, a numb Katherine jerked in her position. This was wrong, very _very_ wrong and she knew she had to act fast before Klaus did something irreversible.

But before she could move more than three steps closer to him and the gang of three, Klaus whirled around, anticipating her intrusion. Jaw clenched and eyes wide, his hands roughly grabbed her arm and yanked her forward as he snarled in her face. "Stay out of this."

She retreated few steps, half in shock, and half as a result of him shoving her away. She had seen frustrated Klaus, angry Klaus, even amused Klaus... but this, this was something different.

For the first time in her short career as a law enforcement officer, she was rooted in fear.

Fear of Klaus.

At this very moment, his eyes black and lost, his face set like a gladiator and his finger floozy on the triggers, Klaus terrified her. And a similar thought seemed to have embedded itself into Klaus's prisoners, as the stole weary glances between one another.

"We didn't steal no tape man," was the response from a slightly subdued Randy.

Klaus closed his eyes for a second; willing his frustration at the man's blatant use of double negation like it was his birthright to pass. Forcing a sinister smile on his face, he glowered down at the three men. "I don't have time to fuck around, give me the tape or I start shooting mate."

"You're bluffing... _mate,_" the man he had nicknamed hulk mocked confidently, purposely exaggerating the last word.

"One last time," Klaus said in warning, take two steps back and setting off alarm bells in Katherine's head. She so badly wanted to reach to her gun and stop Klaus from doing what she could see written all over his face. Her eyes wearily fell on her gun clasped tightly in Klaus's left hand as he delivered his last warning "Give me the tape. Now."

Hulk wrinkled his nose in consideration before puffing his chest out defiantly and let out a booming, "No."

The sound of a gun ricocheting filled Katherine's ears for the second time that night; this time she moved her hands to cover her ears at the close range of the shot. A sickly sweet stench drifted through her nostrils as she opened her eyes to take in the sight ahead of her.

His chest heaving, his eyes maniacal and his lips pursed tight, Klaus whispered, "Wrong answer."

Katherine's eyes traced the path of the thick, glistening, crimson trail of blood from the gaping hole in the man's thigh all the way to her shoes. Randy, flustered and unable to believe his eyes knelt in the hulk's pool of blood as he aimlessly attempted to comfort his friend.

He shot him. The bastard _actually_ shot him.

Slowly, as she steadied herself, the direness of the situation sunk in for Katherine. Klaus, without being provoked, without any rhyme or reason, had shot a man; he hadn't even flinched. It was clear from the nonchalant expression on his face that he didn't care about the consequences either. In fact, he seemed more driven than worried.

If she was scared of him before, now he truly petrified her.

"I told you not to fuck with me," Klaus hissed in a low voice, carefully stepping over the blood trail as he knelt next to the two trembling men. Grabbing a hold of the third man's jacket with his free hand he repeated, "Now, that tape _please_. Or next time I'll aim for the heart."

Gulping nervously yet determinedly, Randy raised a shaky hand and answered, "It's—it's in my backpack."

Klaus and Katherine followed his outstretched finger pointing towards the garage. Instantly Klaus was on his feet, dragging a shaking Randy with him and striding towards the garage, leaving the hulk and the nameless third accomplice cowering in the alley.

Within minutes Klaus held in his hands the tape, a satisfied smile on his face as Katherine lingered nearby, gathering her thoughts and trying to decide what to do now. In a fraction of a second Klaus's face went from pure bliss back to its hunting wolf look as he cornered Randy.

"Here's my proposition. I keep this tape and keep you out of jail and you," Klaus said pointedly, inching closer to the wide-eyed man's face, "will forget about everything that happened tonight. If your friend survives, he got shot cleaning his gun. Do I make myself clear?"

After only a moment's hesitation, the man nodded. It was clear that after contemplating which course of action was most beneficial to him, he had decided on the one that didn't lead to unnecessary jail time.

"How did he get shot?" Klaus asked again for confirmation.

"He-he was cleaning his gun. I saw it," Randy stuttered.

"Good," Klaus exclaimed proudly as he took a step away from the man, apparently satisfied with his reply.

Numbly and deceptively quiet Katherine followed Klaus as he walked to the exit of the garage, her mind confounded with the number of disciplinary hearings that were going to ensue. Abruptly Klaus came to halt, almost causing her to run into him. Without any mirth on his jagged face he turned on his heel and faced Randy, delivering his final blow of the night.

"Oh, and if any of you let anything slip, rest assured I will hunt you down and kill you and everyone you've ever met; slowly and painfully."

* * *

Katherine swayed on her feet unceremoniously as she watched Klaus and the captain talk animatedly. This night had gone from bad to the absolutely the worst night of her life. Now that she was safe and secure in the police headquarters, her gun back at her hip she knew what she had to do.

She would illustrate every little detail that transpired today to the captain, especially the part where Klaus shot someone without provocation or cause. Somehow she had kept her cool the entire car ride back to the station, and Klaus hadn't said a word either, his mind too preoccupied with the victory of attaining the security footage.

And now she was beginning to lose patience, even more so because the captain treated Klaus like some war hero; slapping him on the back playfully and praising the FBI to no ends. She was forming the words in her head when the captain's words startled her out of her reverie.

"I know you had doubts about Klaus, Katherine, and at the beginning I shared them. But it's quite clear that you're the man for the job Klaus. I never thought we'd get the tape and yet here it is, and after I spoke to your supervisor Mr. Morgan I have even more confidence in you!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Klaus replied politely, his eyes briefly flickering over to a frowning Katherine.

"Captain -..." Katherine began, but he cut off.

"I hope Morgan mentioned that I always find what I'm looking for," Klaus interjected hastily.

"He sure did," the captain smiled goofily causing Katherine to roll her eyes.

"Captain I really need to...," Katherine huffed in annoyance when the captain held up a hand to stop her and spoke over her.

"Which is why," the captain continued, as if Katherine hadn't said anything, "I'm giving you the reigns in this case."

"What?" Katherine bellowed, loud enough to stop Klaus's response. Completely sidestepping her earlier stance of getting Klaus's misdoings out in the open she whirled on her boss of five years and stomped her foot. "This is my case!"

"There is no time for ego battles when a woman's life is at stake," the captain narrowed his eyes at her making it very clear that he would not be budging from his stance.

"Call me once the techs are done with the tape," Klaus ordered as he made his leave, walking to the door with a cheeky smile on his face, knowing that there was nothing Katherine could do now.

"Find her Klaus," the captain said firmly.

"I will," Klaus replied instantly, his smirk faded only to be replaced with tight lips as his eyes softened; this instantly piqued Katherine's interests.

She just _knew_ there was more to him.

"Captain..."

"No do not start Katherine," she got interrupted once again, leaving her fuming in frustration. "Our closing rate is dropping and we need a win."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew what he di-..." she blurted in one breath.

"I don't care. I do not care what he did or will do, he is good at this. The FBI works differently Katherine, no yellow tape, it is straight forward and effective..."

_And dirty. _

"...And at this time we could use it. We need to win this case – fast. Nothing is better than good publicity for rescuing a young, beautiful kidnapped woman. And no better perks than getting a pat on the back from the FBI. Let him to this his way."

An inner battle to do what she was taught to do and listen to her superior consumed Katherine as she glared at the captain, her mouth clenched shut. Finally with a loud sigh she nodded her head in defeat and promised to let Klaus take the lead; she left quickly thereafter.

* * *

Gripping the phone in her hand Katherine bit her lower lip, preparing herself to take the plunge. She wasn't going to let it go. What Klaus had done was wrong, they could have easily gotten the tape from those men without threatening and shooting, albeit it would have taken much longer.

But if the law enforcers don't follow the law then how can they enforce it? Practice what you preach.

With a deep breath, she flipped through Klaus's file she had sneaked from the captain's office and dialed the number. She knew there was no point in calling his supervisor, he had already made his opinions clear to the captain. So she called the office phone in his department.

One, two, three, four rings later the click resonated over the line.

"Hello?"

"This is Katherine Pierce from NYPD. I wanted to speak to Niklaus Mikaelson."

"I'm sorry," a man, about thirty years of age asked from the other end.

Katherine had her suspicions and the bewilderment in the man's voice was only fueling it.

"Uhm you _do_ know this is the Narcotics division right?" He said condescendingly, and that's when she read the title on the file, the new information only confirming her suspicions.

"I want to speak to Niklaus Mikaelson," she repeated stoically.

"You must be mistaken..."

Bam! She knew she was right, a smile formed on her face as she heard the words. Something was telling her that Klaus wasn't even an...

"...Nik isn't here right now."

"What?" Katherine blinked.

"I said Nik isn't here," the man repeated exasperatedly.

"Uhmm," Katherine mumbled, stumped at her first reasoning being thrown out the window. "I need to speak with him, it's extremely important."

"What's it regarding?" camethe instant reply; Katherine could sense the doubt in the man's voice.

"Who are you?" she asked as politely as possible.

"I'm Nik's colleague."

Katherine sighed "I need to speak to him."

"He isn't here..."

"Niklaus as in tall, British, arrogant, blonde and green eyes right?" Katherine spluttered grasping at straws and could only imagine the man's expression across the phone.

"Yes," he said decidedly. "Look, Katherine why don't I transfer you to his super-..."

"No, I don't need to speak to Mr. Morgan," Katherine snapped, getting angrier by the second.

_What was Klaus hiding?_

It took her a second before she realized that the man on the phone was laughing, actually laughing.

"Are you talking about Dexter Morgan?"

"Yeah," Katherine said looking down at the file where the supervisors name read Dexter Morgan.

"I don't know if this is a prank or what but Dexter is a lab rat. He's our blood guy. He is _not_ Nik's supervisor. Why don't I transfer you to his _actual_ supervisor, Finn Smith."

"Ok," Katherine nodded dumbly, suddenly tense again. Klaus had lied, he had obviously messed around with his recommendation file and she was hell bent on finding out why.

"Yes," a curt voice answered after a minute.

"I'm-..."

"Pierce I know," Finn Smith digressed in a stern, I-don't-care voice. "What do you want?"

"I wanted some information on Niklaus Mikaelson," Katherine asked in a whisper as Elijah walked to her and handed her a jacket, mouthing the words 'Klaus left his coat'.

Forcing a smile, she nodded at Elijah as he walked away, holding the jacket closer to her.

"Why?" Finn asked suspiciously, his voice laced with heavy curiosity.

Stumped once again, Katherine improvised. "About this case, he's been helping me..."

"No."

"No?" Katherine mirrored baffled at the man's mono-syllable interruption.

"Yes, no. You're mistaken, Pierce. Nik hasn't been helping any case."

"Why do you say so?" Katherine asked cautiously.

"Because Nik was suspended from the FBI two days ago."

She stifled her sharp intake of breath by putting her hand on her mouth. Taking a second to let the information sink in, she timidly asked "May I ask why?"

"No, you may not," Finn replied condescendingly and slammed the receiver down.

* * *

Klaus stood on his motel room balcony, his eternal companion Jack Daniels in one hand as the other clutched at a smooth, shiny, rectangle like object at his chest. Contemplating the events of the night he tugged on the object, causing the string of small silver beads to press into the back of his neck.

Everything had gone according to plan. He had let everything go, his inhibitions and reservations and gotten what he wanted, needed Klaus style. And he didn't regret it one bit. He just hoped that the spit-fire nature of Katherine that he knew existed somewhere below that rigid exterior wouldn't come out now. He couldn't have her digging into things right now.

He needed the free reign the captain had given him.

His nail scrapped over the inscription on the metal object as a smile formed on his face, remembering the first time he saw it.

_His fingers feathered over her supple bare skin, grazing it lightly. They landed on a small, beaded, silver string and followed its path down her body; down her shoulders, by the curve of her breasts, the valley between them before coming to a rest just below her bosom. He toyed with the flat, smooth, cold rectangle as he propped onto a shoulder and watched a half-asleep Caroline. Her hair askew, her eyes closed and her lips quirked up ever so slightly. _

_He followed the trail of his fingers with his lips, lingering unnecessarily over her breasts before reaching the object. _

_Dog Tags; clearly Army._

_Her fingers knotted into his hair as he flipped it over to read the inscription. _

"_Stefan S.," he read out loud, a frown forming on his face. _

_Suddenly, he was overcome with blinding rage. Rage to find this Stefan S. and rip him apart limb to limb. Rage at whoever this man was that Caroline held dear enough to carry a reminder on her body. Rage at the simple fact that the thought of her with another man unraveled him so. _

_Unknowingly, Caroline bought his torture scheming to a halt with one sentence. _

"_My brother. Well, my half-brother."_

"_Oh." _

_He toyed with it in his finger aimlessly, until realization hit him._

"_Oh," he exclaimed, a lot softer and emotionallyas he peppered her skin lightly with kisses. He knew what it meant. _

"_It's okay," she replied sadly, "it was a while ago."_

"_What happened?" Klaus asked hesitantly, not having had any family his entire life he wasn't the best at these conversations. _

"_I.E.D, bomb, cross-fire, could be anything. The report was confusing." _

"_I'm sorry," he repeated wanting to comfort her, make anything that made her sad go away. _

"_Have you ever..." Caroline asked suddenly, surveying him cautiously as he moved up her body. "Killed someone?"_

_He stilled in between her breasts, not expecting such a question. Didn't most women ask about other women? With trepidation he looked into her wide, innocent eyes and slowly nodded. _

_She knew, of the very people in his life, she knew about his years as a sniper. _

"_Is it easy?" _

_He saw the clear intentions in her eyes; she was asking him to be honest. _

"_After a while," he replied. "In the beginning it's hard, but... but when you do it for long enough it doesn't feel like taking a life anymore. It's just... routine." _

"_Did you feel remorse?" she asked, somehow flashing him a smile and running her palm over his back "For the people you killed"_

"_Some deserved it," he said defiantly and she raised her brows at him judgingly. "But yes, taking a life at that moment or much later, it marks you. It changes you." _

"_I worry sometimes," she mumbled sleepily and he laughed into her neck, trying to distract her from this morbid topic by kissing it away. _

"_What? That I'll kill you?"_

"_No," she joked back, "that you'll forget me." _

"_Caroline," he reprimanded, leaving the soft, warm haven of her neck and boring into her conflicted eyes, "why would you say that?" _

"_Everyone leaves, or forgets about me eventually. And you..." she stopped nervously, biting her lip. _

"_Me?" Klaus urged. _

"_You're so different than me, so so complicated. I'm simple Klaus, very plain and simple. I worry that someday I'll just be a memory, that I'll just be lost one day."_

"_I promise you that won't happen," he said genuinely, kissing her softly and meaningfully. The words had left him before he could stop it. "I promise you that I will never forget about you. I won't let you become just a memory. I promise you that I will always always find you."_

_She smiled that smile that melted his frigid heart and pulled herself up to kiss him firmly. He swore that this time, this promise he would keep. _

_He wouldn't disappoint her like last time. He would hold true to his pledge. _

_He would always find her._

* * *

Katherine sat in her office, thinking wildly as to why Klaus was here when he had been suspended.

_And why was he suspended?_

She wondered if she should go to the captain now. Surely with this new information he wouldn't be so trusting of Klaus? Putting a suspended FBI agent as the lead of a case would do a lot more damage than good. She stood up, determined to make the captain listen to her when something fell by her feet.

Something out of Klaus's jacket that she was still holding, his wallet.

She kneeled down to pick it up and scanned the room. No one was here, everyone was gone to get a drink and before she knew it she was hastily opening the wallet. A few credit cards passed her fingers, some money, restaurant checks and then finally she saw something folded neatly, and tucked into one small compartment.

Fishing it out skillfully,she opened it up, wide eyed and curious. Instantly the paper dropped from her hands as she remained transfixed in her spot and stared into thin air.

Grabbing her car keys and jacket she raced out of the office, only one destination in mind.

Klaus's motel.

Only one topic in mind.

The photo in his wallet.

A photo of him and Caroline, arm in arm on some street; a blinding smile on her face as he kissed her blushing cheek.

* * *

_A/N- Do let me know what you think! I am already done with next chapter and almost everything is revealed next chapter. Expect Katherine confronting Klaus, him explaining why he was really suspended, flashback to when klaus and caroline first meet, we get a 'title' to Caroline's kidnapper and also there's a dead body!  
_

_For teasers follow me on tumblr, I'm **Klaussdick**. _


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N- Hi! So here the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it, we find out well almost everything! But I want to make something clear, if you're confused by something... good. You're meant to be. And hopefully through the future chapters you'll be un-confused! Do let me know what you think of it. I hope it's not boring you!_

* * *

**Chapter 5.**

* * *

_10__th__ September._

_5:48 am._

He barely had one foot out the shower when he heard the furious knocking on the door. Even through the inch of frosted glass, wooden door and about 20 feet the knocking _sounded_ irritated. Sighing and praying that Katherine had not been a naughty inquisitive little girl, Klaus grabbed his fresh pair of shorts on the bed, pulling them on he cautiously made his way to the door.

He just knew it was her. And he was proved right when he opened the door to look into the incensed red face of one Katherine Pierce.

She shoved past him, bumping him two steps back by her shoulders and flounced into his motel room like she owned it. He walked back in after her, his mind working overdrive to dismiss any of the pesky questions he was sure she was about to throw at him.

"You lied" she said in a frigid tone, devoid of any emotion. Not even an accusation, a simple statement of facts.

It didn't faze him one bit, he was the king of deflection.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific" he smirked "I lie a lot"

"You're not with the FBI anymore" She smiled in victory when he stilled abruptly, his hand tightening around the whiskey glass as he poured himself a generous amount "You got suspended"

He snorted and walked towards his bed, pulling his shirt on and sitting down on the springy mattress he turned his indifferent gaze on Katherine. She sat on the lopsided chair by the small table, her eyes determined and her face blank.

"You're losing your mind" he said confidently "You're tired Katherine, and scared" he added with a hint of menace she didn't miss.

"I am tired, and I sure am on the brink of losing my mind, but I am not scared" she replied confidently "Tell me why you were suspended"

"I was not..."

"I spoke to Finn Smith" she said slowly, measuring each word to ascertain his reaction. And sure enough, his eyes widened and his breath hitched "Dexter Morgan, _the blood guy_ says hi" she added lethargically, crossing her legs and staring him down.

"You have no idea wh-..." Klaus began ominously but stopped abruptly, surprised by the lack of fear on her face, and that's when he noticed what she had cleverly done. His gun sat right next to her on the table, he was bare without a weapon and no way to intimidate her.

She went straight to eliminate any chance he had of overpowering her when she noticed his gun sitting on the table. Knowingly, her eyes glanced at the gun 2 inches from her hand. He could take her physically, but with his and her own gun within her reach, he had no chance of overpowering her.

She was scared of him, of what she thought he was capable of, but she had cunningly orchestrated everything to her benefit.

He wasn't ready to give up yet. He was infamous as a smooth talker, known to talk and charm his way out of anything. So he lied.

"I work in Narcotics, Pierce" He drawled, his voice laced with confidence and superiority "We have to get a little twisted to get things done. We had been tracking this guy for two years and never got him on anything. So... you have to create that little something. I got suspended for planting evidence, but it's all a part of the act. He'll be in jail soon, I'll be re-instated and..."

"No"

"No?" he resonated incredulously.

"You're lying, _again_" she accused, leaning forward slightly "Your real supervisor told me why you were suspended"

Now it was Klaus's turn to take control.

"No" he said in a stony voice, knowing Finn all too well "He would never tell you that"

Her face fell slightly, but she recovered instantly and fumbled through her bag as she said "Fine, he didn't tell me. But he didn't have to, this was all I needed" She held up a photo and inertly congratulated herself when Klaus let out a groan.

His eyes lost and pained, he focused anywhere but the photo in her hand. His hands turned into fists as he thumped them on his thigh and scowled "You bit-..."

"You were suspended because of Caroline. Because you knew her" Katherine hissed, her hand involuntarily inching to her gun. "Now tell me the truth"

"What do you want to know?" Klaus said in a somber voice, his head low and his shoulders slouched.

"A lot, but firstly; tell me you have nothing to do with this?"

* * *

Elijah slammed the file shut and practically flew out the door, a curiously bewildered look on his face. The captain was blasting orders into the phone, and at the same time yelling at two officers in his cabin. The whole station was in an uproar, phones were going off the hook, uniforms were hustling about to get their things together as the officers rapidly wrote something down.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked dazedly, as he came to stand by Bonnie.

"No clue" she shrugged, observing the scene ahead of her wearily.

Such commotion could only mean something really really bad happened.

"What going on?" Bonnie mirrored Elijah when the Captain walked up to them.

His features showing the clear signs of sleep deprivation and stress, he sighed "FBI called in about two dozen uniforms, the vultures will be here anytime"

"Why?" Elijah asked.

"They found a girl's body in the woods" He replied, putting his coat on and exhaling deeply "FBI thinks it's another victim of the Bikini Murderer"

* * *

"You think I had something to do with her kidnapping?" Klaus screeched, the hurt and insult clear in his voice.

"I don't know what to think" Katherine said honestly.

"I-I ugh" Klaus hesitated, finding it tremendously hard to frame the sentence. He wasn't one to be honest to anyone, let alone a woman he despised. "I am trying to find her, do everything and anything to find her, that's all I want. I just want to find her" he mumbled in a pained voice.

And that's when it hit her. Like a ton of bricks realization fell upon her, it all made sense now; how he always knew what to do, and was always right. He insisted on finding the car, and that led to them finding out about the camera; because he knew that the car was important. He had been prodding them in the right direction and using his arrogant charm to push them away from the wrong ones, because he knew where they had to go. He knew Moriarty was a dead end, because...

"It's you" she whispered, more to herself than him and from the way he bowed his head she knew she was right "You're the boyfriend Moriarty was talking about and this was your case. Before it came to me, this was your case"

Klaus looked up surprised; he hadn't expected her to deduce that so quickly. He grunted as he stood up to refill his glass, he needed alcohol right now "There is no case to begin with"

"What do you mean?" Katherine asked, her brows clumped together and he instantly noticed that she had clearly believed that he had nothing to do with the kidnapping anymore. Somehow, talking about Caroline revealed traits of him that always made people think he was a much better man than he really was.

"I never reported it, I just knew she was missing and went straight to finding her. I-I stepped over every procedure and ethic code, I just knew what I had to do... and" Klaus inhaled leisurely, placing his forearm on the wall and resting his head on it, it was all falling apart for him "Finn made the case file you got, he created it, to protect me. He included all the relevant information –or what he thought was relevant information – and handed it down to your captain. It wasn't even a FBI case to begin with... it wasn't in our..."

With a strangled sigh into his arm, he turned around and faced her "Everything you got, every information, it was carefully compiled by Finn. He thought starting this case from scratch would be the best; he was trying to save my job. He thought I would leave it alone." He closed his eyes. "He underestimated me"

"You were suspended because of this case" Katherine resonated, simply a statement of fact. She was trying to get her head wrapped around all this new information and decide the best possible way to find Caroline now.

"Because I got too personal with the case" Klaus supplied sitting back down in his earlier position "All I want to do is find her, I would never hurt her"

A few minutes of silence passed as Katherine appraised him intently, boldly staring into his eyes. And then slowly, almost unnoticeably nodded. Her only sign of acceptance of the fact.

"So you care about her. You care about Caroline" Katherine breathed aimlessly, stating unnecessary facts again.

"I love her" Klaus volunteered, causing her to jerk her neck up. Nodding visibly at his confession she took a deep breath.

"So this is it, this is all you've been hiding?" she demanded, eager to move on from the topic of him and Caroline. It obviously unsettled him and she had no clue how to comfort him nor did she feel the need to comfort him. So she pursued the only topic that had anything to do with her. When he didn't say a word, but only lowered his head to admire his fingernails she narrowed her eyes threateningly "What more is there Klaus?"

"Do you know how I met Caroline?" he said in a huff, exhaling loudly "The first time I ever met her?"

Katherine crinkled her nose, contemplating his question "What that does have anything to do with the case?"

"It's not the _how_ we met, more of the _why_?"

Taking a deep breath as if to prepare herself for more shocking news, Katherine nodded "Go on"

"She came to me, broken and a mess and begged me to help her" Klaus confessed, his hand unconsciously wrapping around the dog tag on his chest "She asked me to help find her sister"

"Her sister?" Katherine repeated dumfounded.

"Yes, her younger sister, she'd been kidnapped. Rebekah"

_The wet muddy sidewalk by the FBI building was Klaus's biggest problem at the moment. He hated the rain, he despised it. It spoiled his $200 shoes and made things smell awful. It made him miserable, or maybe he was just miserable to begin with. He swung his bag over his shoulder and meandered his way through the mud puddles on the way to his car. _

_Dexter Morgan, blood guy extraordinaire and quite possibly his only friend, walked beside him, not a care in the world for his shoes. They were quite a pair the two of them, both as emotionally distant and secretly twisted as possible. _

"_I have to get home for dinner, Nik" Dexter said somberly, letting out a deep strangled breath of aggravation "So, rain check on that drink"_

"_No problem mate" Klaus commented slapping him on the back as they separated to go their own way. He pitied and envied Dexter at time. On one hand the man was curbed by his wife, and yet at the same time he had something other than an x-box to keep him company. _

"_Are you Niklaus Mike-... Mikchel..." _

"_Mikaelson" he said in a frustrated voice as he fumbled within his bag to find his car keys. Not even bothering to turn around and look at the person inquiring about him he quipped "I just got off, go find someone else"_

"_Are you him?" _

_He dropped his arms to the side and lifted his head up to the cloudy skies. Puffing up his cheeks and exhaling roughly, causing a gurgling sound to leave his mouth he turned around. He opened his mouth with every intention of giving this person a piece of his mind only to shut it in surprise when he took in the sight ahead of him. _

_A thin, pale, ghostly creature stood before him. An exquisite creature. Even in her tired, insipid state he found something about this woman beautiful, the kind of beautiful that had never been apparent to him ever before. She was common to look at, especially in her faded jeans, overlarge t-shirt and raincoat, her messy blonde hair tied up hastily and her face as haphazard as the rest of her. _

_There was an aura about her, something he couldn't see, something that intrigued him. And Klaus was never intrigued, his spectrum emotions only contained the following ; anger, bitterness, lust, vengeance. There was no more to him. Curiosity and intrigue was not something he was accustomed to. _

"_Who are you?" he asked, his voice somehow a lot less maniacal than usual. _

"_Caroline Forbes" she said, forcing a smile on her face and extending out a hand. Confused, he took his hand out of the bag and put it in hers, shaking it and fro a few seconds before she ripped hers out. _

"_You're don't work with me do you?" he asked in confirmation. _

_Her blue glassy eyes shifted to the monstrous FBI building before she shook her head. "I wa-need your help" _

"_What do you do?" he inquired, taking a step forward towards her and on instinct scanning the surrounding for anything suspicious. _

"_I'm a babysitter" _

"_A what..."_

_She lowered her eyes for a few seconds, obviously wondering if he didn't hear her or was just mocking her. Instead, she repeated herself "I need your help" _

_Before he could say anything, she moved one hand into her handbag, obviously searching for something. Instantly Klaus's body language changed, his eyes narrowed as his hand sat firm on the butt of his hidden gun. He hoped to god she was just some mental patient and not a druggie nut-job. Surprisingly, the thought of having to hurt her irked him. _

_His hand relaxed slightly, when she pulled out a brown file from her bag and looked down at it sadly. _

"_Please, read this" she whispered, shoving the file in his face "I need you to help me"_

"_I-" Klaus hesitated, confounded by her request "How do you know who I am" _

"_I read about you in the newspaper, 5 years ago" she answered only fueling his doubt "Please, only you can help me?"_

"_What are you on about woman?" he demanded _

"_My sister, Rebekah she- she was kidnapped 3 ..." she began_

"_I don't work in missing persons anymore, I'm in narcotics now" he informed her condescendingly and started to turn around when she let out a scream. _

"_Yes, but you did" she said helplessly, moving closer to him effectively boxing him in between his car and her body "5 years ago, you found that little girl. Your first case ever, no one could find her, they all gave up. But _you_ found her"_

_Thoroughly taken aback Klaus fumbled to construct a response. That win had been in every definition of the term a fluke. To satisfy the media's accusation his superiors had dumped the case on him, knowing full well that there was no hope for the girl anymore, not after being missing for 2 months. But to save his reputation and stake his claim, he had worked his ass off and after breaking a few laws and shooting a few more people in the leg he had found the girl. _

_He was the hero, acclaimed by his boss and the media. And then two months later he was transferred to narcotics, clearly told that his reckless ways were meant for that department. And he thoroughly agreed. _

_That was 5 years ago, and now faced with the delusional blonde it rendered him speechless. _

"_So?" he asked incredulously, causing anger to rise in her eyes as her cheeks grew redder. _

"_No one has found her, they've given up. All they do is talk and talk, you're the only one -..."_

"_File a missi..."_

"_I HAVE" she screamed in his face "I have done everything, I appealed to the media, I made thousands of posters and hung them everywhere, I have begged and pleaded. And she is still missing" a lonesome tear crept over her cheek as she took a step away from him and shook her head. _

"_Please" she said in a soft voice, not looking at him but moving the file to his chest "Just take a look" _

_With a grunt he snatched the file from her and opened it, all it took was for him to read the name and investigating officer to let out a hissing groan. _

"_This is an ongoing investigation" he jibed, taking a menacing step towards the crying blonde "A very important investigation mind you. The media is all over this case, trust me they are doing their best"_

"_No, but I did some digging around myself. I found out some more information, and and when I told them about that they-..."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry" he replied in mock remorse "Did they ignore your findings Nancy Drew? What's the use of the academy when you have CSI?" _

_Instantly her head whipped up and she took him by surprise. The weak, feeble woman vanished only to be replaced by a wild lioness as she roughly shoved him up against his car and stuck a finger in his face. _

"_Look Mr. Michealson..."_

"_Mikaelson" he corrected through clenched teeth _

"_Whatever. I didn't come here for you to mock me. I am talking to you like an adult, please do the same" when he frowned and begrudgingly nodded his head, she continued "I know my sister, and I have every right to try and help find her. They will not listen to what I have to say, they don't think it matter but I know it does. You do things off the books, things no one else dares to. I am asking you to please, please help me"_

_Pushing herself off of him she sighed, the rosy hue of embarrassment over her outburst clear on her damp cheeks "Or at least, read the file" _

"_How do you know all that about me?" Klaus asked, his eyes soft and brows clumped together. No one knew his like this, no one but Dexter. _

"_I just do" she dismissed with a wave of her hand "Will you read it?"_

"_This is an official FBI file" Klaus said, letting out a little laugh of appreciation as he threw it back at her "Did you steal this?"_

"_Please..." she whimpered, stomping her leg adorably "Will you help me?"_

"_Look Caroline" he sighed, amazed at how melodious her name sounded rolling of his tongue "I don't find people anymore, I work in narcotics. Have trust in the detectives on this case, they will find her"_

"_It's been three weeks, you know what that means" she sniffed and Klaus swayed on his feet uncomfortably, he knew exactly what that meant. And more so in this particular kidnapping. "Please, my parents are dead, my brother is dead, all I have is my little sister. I was supposed to take care of her" she took a second to inhale through her sobbing "I lost her, she's all I have. Please all I ask is that you read the file once, just once. And if you think I'm crazy then I'll never bother you again"_

"_Caroline..." he said as soothingly as possible._

"_I need to know that I tried everything" she pleaded, her big blue orbs stirring his non -existent emotions. _

_Closing his eyes and rolling them inertly, he extended his left palm and she instantly placed the file in it. He was well known to abide by women's blackmail, but they usually ended with him getting them in bed. _

"_I'm not promising anything" he warned darkly "Everything you investigated is probably bullshit, I'm just doing this to get rid of you"_

_He was not the give and take kind of man. He was inclined to the take and never give style of living. _

_And yet, the sight of a genuinely smiling Caroline as she thanked him and walked away left him feeling... feeling an unknown emotion, triggered not by an event or action but simply the satisfaction of putting a smile on the woman's face._

_His spectrum of emotions had just extended to admiration._

Thick silence filled the room as Katherine squirmed under Klaus's intense gaze. His narration still washing over her as she tried to process it all.

"So..." she began unsurely, lifting a hand into the air "She came to you for help?"

"Yes"

"To find her sister?"

"Yes"

"And that's how you met?"

"Do you want me to draw a picture?" Klaus snipped heatedly, thumping his fists on his thighs.

"But... no" her eyes flickered from side to side as she shook her head "There was no mention of a sister in her file, or a brother, just dead parents"

"Because Finn orchestrated that file Pierce" He hissed, annoyed by her sudden dense mental capacity "He only kept that information which was vital and relevant to finding her and removed everything and anything that could lead back to me. Which is why he mentioned her as a single child with no living family"

"Ok so then why will her sister lead back to you?" Katherine questioned, leaning forward in her chair and propping her chin on her hand.

"I did not kidnap her if that's where you're going" Klaus rolled his eyes.

"No, its not. You weren't the investigating officer of her case obviously, but you said any information we had about her sister would lead back to you. How and why?"

"Mmm..." Klaus hummed, squinting his eyes and bobbing his head "Lets just say that the detectives on her sister's case might have a slightly disliking towards my... _helpful_ nature"

"So basically you throttled into their case, tried to make them look stupid, took control and shot people?" Katherine exclaimed accusatorily, raising a brow at him.

"Oh so you do understand!" Klaus exclaimed happily.

"Whatever Klaus" she said hastily, getting to her feet and fixing him with a stern gaze "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't report what you did. You broke about a hundred rules"

"You won't report me" Klaus smirked "If you had any intention of doing so you wouldn't be here right now"

"And why is that?"

"Because you know you need my help, you can't find Caroline without me. I know what to do, I know what we need" Klaus said determinedly.

Katherine sighed and hung her head "Well unlike you I have faith in my skills as a detective, I will find Caroline and you will stay out of it"

"No" Klaus snarled, coming to his feet as well "You need me. You have to let me be a part..."

"I don't have to let you be..."

"The man who took Rebekah..." Klaus spoke over, his voice firm and authoritative "Is the same man who took Caroline"

The beginnings of a 'what' escaped Katherine's lips before she simply stared dumbfounded at him, one hand in the air and an incredulous look on her face. She almost expected him to burst out laughing.

"Wh- what makes you say that?" she asked in disbelief.

"I just do" Klaus said desperately, moving one step closer to her and she instantly backed off.

"Do you know who the man is?" she asked.

"Of course not" he scowled "If I knew who it was I wouldn't be here"

"Klaus you are too personally involved, you are not thinking straight" Katherine tried to reason "You will never think straight when it comes to this case, you need to let us take care of this"

"You don't understand, and you won't until you know the full story. Rebekah and Caroline they were taken by the same person" Klaus argued, turning his back to her and grabbing the now almost empty bottle of scotch, directly chugging from it.

"There is no connection Klaus, if there was then Finn wouldn't have removed her link to the case. Caroline's kidnapping has nothing to do with Re-..."

He stilled in his movements when she trailed off of her lecture, turning around with the bottle still attached to his lips Klaus frowned. Katherine stood lamely ahead of him, a unexplainable expression on her face, her hand extended out and her eyes flickering back and forth as her brain frizzed with the sudden realization.

"What did you say her name was?" she whispered, no other movement than that of her jaw.

He breathed a sigh of relief when it was clear that she was beginning to make the connection "Rebekah. Rebekah Forbes. 19, brunette, 5'9", 110 pounds, blue eyes and an anthropology student"

Katherine shook her head absently, moving a few steps back involuntarily as her overworked brain attempted to process all the date "I-I've heard that name before"

"No" she breathed, whipping around and fixing him with wide fearful eyes.

"My bag" Klaus said pointing at his bag in the corner "Her case report is in there. Read it"

Instantly she flung herself onto his bag, in her disbelief and shock even forgetting to man the guns. But he wasn't planning on shooting her, not when she already knew more than half the real story. Struggling with the zipper, she finally pulled the file out and read greedily.

"No... this is not possible" she said adamantly, shaking her head as she turned page after page.

"Oh come on, you remember her name. You obviously saw the tv coverage, the file is there. This is true, Caroline was taken by the same man or men" Klaus quipped, walking back to the bed where his phone wouldn't stop ringing.

_Dexter Morgan. He would have to wait on the yelling. _

"But it doesn't fit Klaus, Caroline isn't..." Katherine stammered

"I know but trust me it's the same person. I know it for sure" he assured her for the hundredth time, pressing ignore.

"This is an ongoing investigation, one of the biggest in the state right now. The media is all over this..."

"I know"

"You-you... you're saying that both Caroline is _also_ a victim of the Bikini Murderer?" Katherine laughed in skepticism.

"Yes" he said firmly

"Even if we assume you're right then... then you know what that means right?" Katherine said dreadfully.

"Yes" he breathed heavily, a pained expression taking control over his features "Rebekah is dead"

In that instant, the sight of his lost, helpless face she almost felt sorry for him. Her one moment of genuine likeness towards Klaus was broken when his phone rang suddenly.

With a growl, he picked up the phone and answered "What Dex?"

His face lost color in a second as his knuckled turned white. He gripped the phone tightly obviously struggling to maintain control as he whispered "What's the description?"

10 seconds later, he sat motionless on the bed, not an emotion on his face.

It almost looked like he was praying.

"What is it?" Katherine asked cautiously, taking a step towards him.

"They found a dead girl in the woods. It's him"

The Bikini Murderer had churned out his latest casualty.

The only question was, which girl was it.

* * *

_A/N – oops! Are you confused? About what? If something doesn't make sense, then please leave it in a review or PM me I will try to explain! _

_Also FYI I am conducting Klaroline awards on tumblr, and we have tons of categories for fic, authors, blogs etc. So do go check it out and nominate your favorite choices. _

_URL – klarolineawards or you can find the link on my profile page!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N- I was not going to update this chapter until I had the next chapter written but then this story was nominated in the Klaroline awards for best Action/Adventure Fic and I just couldn't not update! I hope you enjoy and please do let me know what you think, reviews is what help me write faster!_

**If you want to vote for this story you can find a link to the awards blog in my profile! :)**_  
_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Katherine struggled to keep up. Pushing her way through the a storm of chattering and babbling journalists, she kept one eye on a tuff of curly blondehair a mere foot ahead of her, and another on the ground, making sure she didn't stumble over any wires. This looked like a scene straight out a crime scene movie.

And Klaus wasn't making it any easier for her to meander her way through the jungle; taller and more determined he strode further ahead, ignoring her calls, just so he could make sure it wasn't _her_.

Only then would he stop running like a madman.

Katherine breathed in heavily as she walked past the yellow tape, hissing at the reporters behind her as she tried to spot Klaus. But he was practically sprinting now, running at the crime scene like a bull, refusing to be halted by the uniforms who tried to stop him. He just shoved his ID in their faces and insulted their entire family before continuing on his path.

"Klaus, wait up!" she yelled, bending over and placing her hands on her knees. She felt like she had been running hours. As soon as Klaus had gotten the call he'd all but jumped into action, flying out the door and into his car. She barely made it in the vehicle before he zoomed away and taking her to a completely different environment than she was used to.

"Forget it," a tall, lean brunette snorted from next to her, "you'll never catch up with him."

Katherine looked up and appraised the athletic build of the woman. She was dressed in semi-casuals, a frown set firmly on her lips as she turned her head to look just as Klaus's head disappeared into the woods. Katherine straightened her back and calmed her breathing. "Yeah," she said, "look I'm sorry for barging in here. I know we have noth—"

"Oh it's nothing Nik hasn't done before," the woman dismissed with a wave of her hands as she flipped another page in her clipboard. "He just needs to check that it's not Rebekah, and then he'll go away."

"Is it not Rebekah?" Katherine asked cautiously.

"No, another girl," she replied sadly. "Just let him get it out of his system and then he will be back to normal-_ish_."

"He's done this before?" Katherine asked, pointing in the direction Klaus had disappeared to.

The woman sighed and lowered her hands. "I've had three crime scenes like this where he's barreled in like Optimus Prime demanding to see the body. Things just go faster if you humor him," she added with a wiry smile.

Confused and bewildered at this uncanny approach of dealing with a stray Klaus, Katherine smiled awkwardly and nodded. Puffing up her chest she extended her hand to the woman. "Katherine Pierce."

"Meredith Fell," she returned with a smile as she grasped Katherine's hand in hers.

Her name set off an image in Katherine's head, the image of the woman's name written in the file she had read an hour back. Rebekah's case file.

"You're...," Katherine began unsurely. "You're the one in charge of this serial killer case, right?"

"Yeah," Meredith replied, cocking a brow suspiciously. "How did you know that?"

"Uhm, Klaus," Katherine covered confidently. Meredith seemed to buy it as she slowly nodded in response.

"So you're Klaus'... _friend?_" Meredith asked tentatively, surveying Katherine for her reaction, which was nothing short of horrified at the _mere_ suggestion.

"Oh, _god_ no," Katherine exclaimed, deeming the use her hands to bring her point home a sound excuse to stretch her arms. "He's ruining my life and my job!"

"Sounds like Nik," Meredith muttered bitterly.

"Look, Meredith," Katherine tried looking for any sign of discomfort from her at the use of her name and finding none, she continued, "I need your help. I just need to ask you some questions about this case and..."

"Look we just found another body, I have to tell the family, give the media a statement..."

"I'll wait," Katherine spoke over her, "just need fifteen minutes, that's all. It is extremely important."

Sighing deeply, Meredith looked around wearily. After a few seconds, she nodded solemnly. "Wait here; I don't know how long it will take me. Fifteen minutes is all you get."

* * *

Klaus ducked his head to avoid smacking into a branch as he neared the spot where the girl had been found. From here he could see two people around the body, one was obviously Dexter from his bag and shirt and the other was a medical examiner trainee.

"I was wondering when you would show up," Dexter said without looking back towards him.

Klaus inched closer, the anxiety building in his chest and a wave of fear crashing over him. He could only see the girl's legs from here, Dexter body covering her face from his sight.

"Is it her?" he asked in a throaty voice, turning wild eyes on Dexter.

"No," he replied. Klaus instantly let out a sigh of relief. "Not Rebekah, not Caroline. This is Amy." Dexter turned to look at Klaus as he bent over, breathing raggedly. "This is good right?"

"I don't know," Klaus said truthfully. "It doesn't mean they or one of them isn't dead..."

"It just means we haven't found them," Dexter finished for him, a sympathetic smile forming on his face. Dexter was the only one Klaus trusted enough to share his emotions and suspicions with.

"Tell me about her," Klaus demanded, moving closer and regaining his usual stoic, determined composure. He had a moment of panic when he thought one of them or both of them was dead, but now he needed to get back on track; back on track to finding Caroline.

Dexter puffed up his cheeks and let out a strangled breath, creating a noise like an aggravated child. "Same thing, bikini from the girl's house, strangled to death, no definitive bruises or marks. Everything is the same as the last girl's."

"So there's nothing you can give me?" Klaus challenged, fisting his hands and bumping them into each other.

Dexter sighed and looked back at the body. "I can tell you more once we get the body back in the lab, and get a better look."

"Yeah, I'll sneak in to the office. Give me your access card," Klaus demanded, holding his hand out.

"One of these days you're going to get me in real trouble," Dexter murmured while handing over his access card.

"You know I'd do the same for you," Klaus yelled back as he walked away, causing Dexter to smile inertly.

Intent on making it out of there before Meredith found him, Klaus made quick work of getting out of the crime scene and hopping into his car. Katherine was nowhere to be seen, and he didn't particularly care anymore. She had made him, she'd only lecture him more and slow him down; he would be better off doing this on his own.

So he moved his far too noticeable car off to the side, waiting and watching for when Dexter would give him the signal. He remembered with regret the last time he had been here, a little less than three weeks ago.

The day the seed of disaster was planted in her head.

_He ran like Usain fucking Bolt, harshly and unabashedly pushing aside the reporters. Bending below the yellow tape, his eyes scanned the woods, a sense of dread filling him. By now, almost all officers had gotten used to him barging through this investigation and didn't even bothergiving him a backwards glance; however, this time one idiotic rookie attempted to stop him. This resulted in him landing his ass and the ground and Klaus walking right smack into the face of a one frowning Meredith Fell._

_Hands placed firmly on her hips, she gave a shake of her head, and glared at him."Nik."_

"_Fell," he acknowledged before walking around her. _

_Most people underestimated Meredith Fell; all they saw was the brown curls and the long legs. All Klaus saw in her was a brutal mind, sharp wit and determined power. He wasn't amongst the fools who underestimated her. Which was why it came as no shock to him when she grabbed the back of his t-shirt and hauled him backwards, displaying strength most mistook her for lacking. _

"_Does running through a crime scene burn more calories?" she quipped sarcastically, waving a hand scornfully at his morning jog attire. It wasn't his fault they found the body in the middle of his morning job. _

"_Look, I just need to confirm..." he explained holding up his hands as she made a face and wiped her hands on her pants. _

"_I confirmed it," she cut-him off strongly. "When you called I confirmed it wasn't Rebekah, Nik. It's the Colton girl."_

"_But..."_

"_And then when you called again, I confirmed again that it's _not_ her," Meredith added firmly, taking a step closer and widening her eyes as if to make a point. _

"_Ok, fine," he relented. "I believe you. But I need to see it with my own eyes. For her," Klaus angled his head to the right slightly so Meredith could look behind him._

_She sighed in frustration, taking in the teary blonde from top to bottom. Still in her pajama's, Caroline stood behind the yellow tape, brows puckered, eyes torn and shivering from the morning cold as she watched them converse. Rolling her eyes, Meredith stepped aside and let Klaus walk by. _

_He didn't bother to say thank you when she decided to give him a piece of her mind. "This is a disaster in the making Nik."_

"_What?" he asked skeptically, turning back to look at her. _

"_This," she repeated, tilting her head in Caroline direction. "It's wrong and doomed. You're obsessed and she's in denial. You're going to destroy each other."_

"_Who asked you?" he rebuked, a vein jumping in his forehead as he took a menacing step towards her. _

"_Take it as what you want. But you're dragging her down into your darkness and she's dragging you down into her grief. No one is getting out of this happy." _

"_Oh and you know this from your long list of successful long term relationships? Like the seven minutes of very loud heaven in Finn's office," Klaus challenged, feeling victorious at the way her eyes turned to slits and jaw clenched. "Don't ever talk to me about Caroline," he added curtly. _

_And then he took off running again, like he always was. _

_Running and searching. _

_For _her_._

* * *

There were only two sounds; the rumbling, obnoxious cheeriness of the cartoon and the _split splat_ of the water droplets falling repetitively by the edge of the cell. Caroline pulled her legs closer to her chest, turning on her side, finally able to lie down, finally able to stretch her muscles.

He was watching cartoons. Tom and Jerry from the sound of it; she could hear it faintly, right above her somewhere.

She had stopped counting now,lost track of the hours and days. As it were, she had no idea how long ago she had been taken. How long since she had seen Klaus.

The sound of shuffling feet alarmed her; instantly she was awake, sitting upright and backing up against the wall. It was still dark in her new, slightly improved cell, but she still couldn't see very well; he didn't like her being able to see things. But the second the door opened and someone walked in, she knew it wasn't _him_.

He always cooed her name before coming in, like a warning of what was to come.

But not him, the accomplice, he was always quiet, somber and gentle, much _much_ gentler. He bent down causing her to back up against the wall further, always afraid of being within their grasp. He set down a plate of food in the only area of the cell that got a ray of light; _a burger and fries_.

Tears pricked her eyes at the sight of the food, her stomach rumbling in approval. She was hungry, far too hungry.

Caroline looked from the plate to him, wishing to see his face so badly. Sensing her fear he began walking out the door. "It's just food," he stated.

"I heard screaming," she croaked in reply. "Yesterday, a girl screaming. He took her out of her cell. What did he do to her?"

The accomplice stilled by the steel doors, his fingers hovering over the locks. "Killed her," he said simply.

The tears trickled down, dampening her cheek. "Am I next?" she managed to ask through a strangled sob.

He hesitated, swaying on his feet. Then, in an emotionless tone, said, "Yes."

* * *

"So Katherine," Meredith began, shaking a sachet of sugar in her finger and sitting down opposite Katherine in the cafeteria. "You've got fifteen minutes."

"I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about this bikini murderer," Katherine asked, getting straight to the point.

"Why?"

"I-ugh... I think one of my cases might be his victim," Katherine mused, wondering how best to phrase her questions without giving anything away.

"That's impossible. I've been screening every missing person's that fits his motif for months. I would have caught anyone who had even a one percent chance of being his victim."

"I know, I know," Katherine digressed, "but just humor me, I have this _feeling_ about it," she added, hoping to appeal to Meredith's instinctual side.

"Ok fine," she surrendered. "Tell me about her. I'm not asking for a name and favorite backstreet boy, just the description."

Straightening in her seat and twirling the spoon in her cup, Katherine began, "Twenty-five..."

"And there it is," Meredith cut in chirpily. "Not his victim. He only takes women between eighteen and twenty years of age. He's never crossed the twentieth mark."

"Yes but, isn't it possible that he changed, just this one time?" Katherine argued.

Meredith sighed exasperatedly and leaned forward. "Let me tell you something about serial killers, they're fucked up bastards. But they are more methodical than the biggest OCD individual alive. They have a pattern, a rulebook, a system, a code; one that they follow diligently, every single time without question."

"But it has happened before," Katherine urged, flashing back briefly to her academy days.

"Yes, but not with him," Meredith said confidently. "He has a type, and he never deters from it. Eighteen to twenty years of age, brunette, college student and each of them had at least one stitch of red on them when he took them. Red dress, red top, red shoes even a red hairclip for fucks sake. He works on a schedule, three hours after he takes the girls he breaks into their house and steals one of their bikinis."

"He knows these things Katherine, he knows them, what they do, what they wear, and he takes them only when they fit his criteria. He doesn't just grab some random girl. He takes only what he wants. And his choice isn't about to change suddenly, not after _seven_ girls."

Katherine huffed, running her fingernail over the inside of her thumb as she looked down at her shoes. Caroline didn't fit even one of the serial killer's criteria. Klaus had either tricked her or he was simply insane.

"And he's killed them all?" Katherine inquired.

"Almost all; he strangles them, every single time. And every time he drops their body in the woods, he dresses them in the bikini he stole."

"No beatings, no sexual abuse, no torturing?" Katherine asked surprised.

"Never, not once. All girls have bruises but they aren't from beatings or sexual abuse, but from fighting back or something else. All he does is take them, steal their underwear, keep them for a while, do god knows what with them, and then strangle them to death. Every time," Meredith's lips twisted into a miserable frown. "Every single time," she whispered.

"I understand," Katherine nodded. "Thank you for talking with me."

"Look, I don't mean to be forward but whatever is going between you and Nik..."

At this Katherine jerked her head up, looking at Meredith with disgusted eyes."God, no! Nothing is going on! He isn't even a friend... it's I—he thinks that perhaps my case is related to the Bikini Murderer."

A knowing look crossed Meredith's face as she lounged back in the chair. "That would be because he is obsessed with this case. Let me tell you something, I've known Nik since he joined the FBI. No one liked him, I don't even like him, but he's my friend. And _that_ right now is not Nik. He's... _consumed_."

"What do you mean?" Katherine asked curiously.

Taking a second to think, Meredith raised the coffee cup to her lips and took a long sip, obviously contemplating how to phrase what she was to say next. "There are two Nik's; pre- Caroline and post-Caroline. Pre-Caroline Nik was a brute; crude and insufferable, but he was smart and focused. Post-Caroline Nik is broody, guilt-ridden and obsessed. All he thinks about is her and that stupid promises he made her. He hasn't been himself in months. Don't listen to him. He's drowning and he's going to take you with him," she added sincerely and Katherine nodded solemnly.

"Find your girl," Meredith advised as she got up. "Don't get caught up in his bullshit, follow your instincts and find the girl."

Forcing a smile, Katherine watched as Meredith stood up and slung her bad over her back.

"Meredith," Katherine called just when she had made it a few feet from the table. Stopping at her outburst, Meredith turned around to face her. "You said almost all are dead. Among the girls the bikini murderer took. What did you mean by _almost all_?"

Meredith sighed deeply, her shoulders slouching. "We haven't found one girl, even though she was taken a long time back. The media and the family want to believe it means she's alive. I know that it just means we haven't been able to find her body."

"Who is the girl?" Katherine asked

"Rebekah Forbes."

* * *

"What have you got Dex?" Klaus demanded as soon as he walked into his office.

Instantly Dexter pounced off his seat and fumbled with the blinds, snapping them shut so the captain couldn't see them. Sitting back down on his chair and opening the photos on this computer, he asked, "Remember the faint bruises all girls had on their back?"

Klaus closed his eyes and rested his hip by Dexter's desk; his mind flying back to when he had first gone through the file Caroline had given him. He remembered the photos clearly, and the bruises. Barely visible unless you looked really close, faintly purplish, extending from the shoulder blade and down to the small of the back, similar vertical markings, a little more than two inches apart.

"Yeah, what about them?" Klaus answered.

"Well, the examiner and everyone else thought nothing of them, thinking they were struggle wounds, from some chair or item he tied them to. Whatever it was, it had ridges at the distances between the bruising present on the body."

"Yeah..." Klaus mused, unsure of where Dexter was going with this.

"This girl has them too, but they're different" Dexter commented, opening a photo on his computer and beckoning Klaus to take a look. "They're darker, same distance, same type but more evident. They're actual bruises, dark purple. And look, they aren't just vertical markings; here and here," he placed his forefinger on the spot in the photo he wanted Klaus to look at before continuing, "there are horizontal scrapings; it's the same pattern as the other girls. So he didn't change his method... there're just something different with what the girl did."

"What does this mean, Dex?" Klaus asked in bafflement, unable to deduce anything from the unusual markings.

Opening and closing his mouth, Dexter placed his hands in his lap; swirling on his chair slightly he declared, "My lizard brain is talking to me."

Sighing, Klaus hung his head low. "What is it saying?" he asked without looking up.

Taking a deep breath like he was about to dive into the ocean, Dexter began, "We knows he likes to keep them weak right? He doesn't feed them well, barely once in two days. He feeds on their weakness. But this girl, she wasn't that weak. Whereas the others stayed still and didn't move, she did. She struggled; she tried to find a way out. And I think that's how she got _this_."

"How did she get this?" Klaus frowned pointing at the screen.

Shuffling around with papers in the file, Dexter removed a sheet with a dramatic snap. "There was whitish dust in the deeper wounds and residue on her fingers. They found wood splinters in those little horizontal anomalies on her back bruises and under her fingernails too. It's pinewood. And that dust was actually powdered bones."

Raising his brows and waiting for the moment of eureka, Klaus stood silently, waiting for Dexter to declare his conclusion. However, the man only blinked at him. Klaus rolled his eyes. "And..." he insisted.

"Pinewood is used to make coffins," Dexter informed simply. "A Coffin which, in this case, I can already tell you is very old and very dusty, so a little rough movement and splinters will come off. The ridges at the bottom would cause the pattern on the girls back. And also..." he whipped out another sheet and shoved it in Klaus's face, "trying to claw or scratch at the wood would give her hand bruises like this. The examiner thought it was from the fall in the woods, but I think he puts them in coffins before he kills them."

"Why would he do that?" Klaus began pacing as his mind raced into overdrive. He had faith in Dexter's lizard brain; it had, after all, given hundreds of such clues before. He began thinking, wondering what reasons the man could have for doing this. "There has to be a reason. You don't put someone in a coffin, _alive_, for no reason."

"I don't know why, but this adds to his..." Dexter began.

"Keeping them weak tactic..." Klaus finished. "They'll be tired and worn out from the lack of oxygen. There has to be a reason he does this. Is there any way to narrow it down to a particular coffin?"

Dexter shrugged and shook his head. "There are too many funeral homes here, there is no way. But at least we get some more insight into his character. Maybe he worked in a funeral home?"

"You said it was old..." Klaus muttered, deep in thought, raising his thumb to his lips and lightly biting the tip of it, like he always did when his brain was whirring away. "It had bone dust in it. There are no old, bone dust infected coffins in funeral homes. All new ones."

Slowly, Dexter caught up, rising from his chair and moving closer to his friend. "The only place you can find old and occupied coffins are..."

"Graveyards," Klaus concluded for him, a smile on his face. "He dug up a grave, and took that coffin."

"I'll try and see if I can find anything else," Dexter said determinedly. "You can do something with this right?"

"There can only be so many missing coffins," Klaus commented. "And I know the area he works in, he most probably stole it from somewhere near his hunting ground. I'll find something Dex, I always do," he added and it that moment he had actual hope that he might be able to get something, find some clue that would lead him to her.

"Ok, so I'll give you a twelve hours lead before I miraculously come to the same conclusion in front of Fell," Dexter puffed, twirling in a full circle on his chair.

Klaus laughed, for the first time since Caroline had gone missing and clapped his only friend on the back. "You're the best Dex, let me know if you get anything else."

* * *

As soon as Katherine stepped off the elevator, Elijah was in her face. "Is tech done with the video?" she asked him as she started walking towards the conference room.

"Not yet, those robbers tried to destroy it. But the tech guy says it is savable; a few more hours tops," Elijah informed her. "Caroline's credit card records came back. She went to a bar on the highway every night for two weeks before she went missing."

Opening the door and walking into the room, Katherine frowned. "Highway bar?"

"I know," Bonnie chided stepping in beside Elijah. "I didn't get it either, but it's there in the records."

"The bar is also about half a kilometer away from the parking lot where we found her car, and where she was taken," Elijah added, with a deep sigh he continued, "Maybe she hasn't been kidnapped. Maybe some creep from the bar followed her, every night for a could have been meeting someone at the bar? Maybe one day the guy didn't show up and this creep stepped in?"

"What are you saying?" Bonnie asked, crinkling her nose.

"Maybe we should be looking for a..."

"Missing unless we find the body, Elijah," Katherine reminded sternly, her attention distracted as she looked around for Klaus. She hadn't seen him since the crime scene.

Which, of course, meant he was up to no good.

"Go to the bar and speak to everyone there," she ordered. "See if you can find out something."

* * *

The doors of the elevator spread open to display Klaus's smirking face. Without giving him a chance to say a thing, Katherine pushed him back inside and pressed the button for the ground floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked angrily, his apparent good mood vanishing instantly.

She remained silent for a few seconds and just as the elevator descended below the third floor she pulled the stop button, causing the elevator to come a halt abruptly, catching Klaus off guard as he stumbled on his feet.

"What in the bloody hell, Pierce," he growled.

"Look, I should report what you did. The shooting, the false reporting, the lying;_everything,_" she hissed, her chest heaving in her anger. "But I won't, your intentions, as misguided as they were, are good. So if you promise to never show your face here and leave this case alone I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Are you out of your mind..."

"Get that Dexter Morgan to call the captain and tell him that the entire drug cartel has descended on them and they need you. Just _get lost,_" she widened her eyes and pointed a purposeful finger at him.

Now it was his turn to intimidate her as he took a step forward and snarled in her face. "I'm not leaving until I find Caroline."

"You have two options Klaus," Katherine warned. "A, you leave and stay out of jail and keep your badge. B, you continue interfering _illegally_ and when Caroline is free you'll be rotting in jail."

"You think you can do this without me?" he asked, mirth heavily laced within his voice.

"I can do my job," she insisted, pushing herself to her full height.

He laughed. It was that maniacal laugh of his that she had grown to fear. He always did something terrible after he laughed like that. "Twelve hours."

"What?" she blinked.

"I give you twelve hours. Twelve hours to attempt to do this on your own, while I'm out there finding her. Twelve hours before you come crawling back to me," he jibed pompously, moving over her and pushing back the stop sign; with a jerk the elevator begun to move again.

Determined to show him how well she could work without him, Katherine remained silent until, the doors opened and Klaus stepped out, stalking walking away.

"I _will_ find her," she declared to his back.

Flinching slightly, he came to a halt a few feet away. Turning back, signature scowl in place on his face, he walked back towards her, holding one hand out to catch the door as it attempted to close. His delirious face merely was merely inches away from hers.

"I know. I know you can find her," he sneered "But you see the difference is, when you find her, she'll be in a body bag. When I find her, she'll be traumatized, hurt and distraught but she'll be breathing. And then, if I have to go the prison for the rest of my life, _I don't care,_" he breathed the last words like a dare, challenging her to test his loyalty to Caroline.

"But until then Pierce, no one can stop me."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon, very late. She could tell from the heat of the floor below her.

She had been fast asleep, the benefits of a full stomach providing her with much needed rest.

But now Caroline was wide awake. Too terrified, too confused to let slumber overtake her.

She had felt something creaking in her sleepy state, and then suddenly there was a hand clamped on her mouth, preventing her from screaming.

She had been sure that he was here to kill her, but instantly she realized it wasn't him, but the other guy, the accomplice. This only made her feel a little better.

He shushed her as she writhed and attempted to free herself, holding her close to her his body as whispered softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Finding no other way to fight back, she relaxed slightly but still remained wary. And then the weirdest thing happened; he pulled at her hair, tugged at it mercilessly, her eyes widening from the pain and then he stopped.

He moved away from her instantly. Her hands flew to her head, baffled and stunned by what had happened. Within seconds he was out of her cell and running away.

She was sure, certain that he had whispered a word before he ran away. A single word.

_S__orry._

* * *

**_If you don't know what to say after that horrid chapter, just follow my lead –_**

Dear Tanya,

How dare you give us no Klaroline?

How dare you give us no flashbacks?

How dare you hurt poor Caroline?

Just how dare you?

Love,

Insert name here


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N- I am extremely proud of myself for updating so soon lol! Thank you so much for the reviews, I love reading them and they are the best encouragement to write faster! I hope you like this chapter and do let me know what you think! _

**This story was nominated for best action/adventure fic in the Klaroline awards on tumblr, and if you want to vote for it you find the link for the blog on my profile.**

* * *

**Chapter 7 **

* * *

_The sunlight streamed in through the window, the frilly white shades swaying in the light summer breeze. The table by the window was a mess; an almost empty whiskey bottle, a tub of ice-cream, sheets after sheets of papers, documents and a gun lying by the edge. _

"_This is useless!" Klaus said through clenched teeth, pushing the file away from him and banging his forehead onto the table. _

_Caroline sighed, placing her elbow on the table and propping the side of her face onto her palm, she studied the exhausted man. A day after she tracked him down he came to her day care centre, standing outside awkwardly waiting for all the children to leave, he came forward and told her that her 'findings' had some merit, that she wasn't crazy and delusional. She could have kissed him at that moment; she thought he would throw the file into the first dumpster he saw, and yet he was in her place, telling her that he would look in to it, but not to get her hopes high. _

'_She's probably dead' had been his cruel, cold words. But she only smiled and teared up, thanking him profusely. Someone was ready to help her, that's all she wanted; she just wanted to know she had done everything she could. The police's priority was finding the killer, not his victims. _

_She needed someone to look for her sister, and not the man who had taken her. _

_And now two weeks since that day, her 'relationship' with Klaus had changed drastically. The first few days, he questioned her about her sister, then on the things she had found out. Slowly, and especially in this past week, he became just as obsessed with this case as she was. He spent half the day with her; going over the files – hers and the official police file, searching her sister's dorm room from top to bottom, talking to all her friends, re-tracing every step she took before she went missing. _

_The rest of his day he spent at the office, only he knew how less he concentrated on his actual work. His mind was always on this case, always on Caroline. In two short weeks, the girl had managed to enchant him, and he had no clue how why or when, but all he knew was that there was something about her that could make him do just about anything for her. _

"_What is useless?" she asked, eyeing him warmly, something that always made him uncomfortable. No one ever looked at him like that. Gulping and avoiding her gaze he poured the last remaining drops of whiskey into his glass._

"_This" Klaus said, shaking the file in his hand and giving it a sour look "We've been reading this for hours and it's of no use."_

"_Ok" Caroline said straightening up and pulling her chair closer to him, the control freak in her slowly peeping out "Let's just go over the facts we have, one more time, maybe something new will pop out" _

_He observed her for a few seconds, fixing his narrowed, skeptical eyes on her "You've watched too many crime shows" _

_She giggled, and he couldn't remember a time when the sound of a giggle _didn't_ annoy him "I hardly watch any if you must know. Seriously though, can we just give this a shot?" she added seriously and he grumbled and wrinkled his nose but ultimately nodded "Ok, so almost all the girls thought that they were being followed just days before they were kidnapped. I spoke to their parents, brothers etc and they all said the girls had this feeling like they were being followed."_

"_Does this really have to mean anything, I mean this is New York" Klaus butted in. _

"_True" Caroline agreed, pointing her pencil at him and searching through the file ahead of her "But _this_ can't be a coincidence. All the girls within a few days of thinking they were being stalked, when asked about it totally dismissed it; said that they were mistaken and that it was just a misunderstanding"_

"_Andrea Colton's brother said that when he asked her 3 days after she told him she was worried, she suddenly started blushing and dismissed it. Saying that she just misunderstood and it wasn't something to be worried about. That can't be a coincidence" Caroline concluded, mirroring Klaus and reclining back in her chair. _

_He chewed on the back of the pen, lost in thought before springing up and resting his elbows onto the table "Even Rebekah told you the same thing"_

_Caroline gulped unceremoniously as a wave of emotions flitted across her face "Yeah. She told me she thought she was being followed, and when I asked her about it two days later; she laughed. And not her this-movie-is-so-funny laugh; but her awkward, blushing giggly laugh. She said it was no big deal and there was nothing to worry about. I asked her if she was followed and she just told me to not worry and slammed the phone"_

"_But she didn't answer?" Klaus asked "She didn't say yes or no to that question?"_

"_No..." Caroline replied unsurely "She didn't answer that specifically, why?"_

"_Some people have an aversion to lying. But when they don't want to tell the truth, they simply don't tell anything to begin with. Avoid the topic, avoid the question – avoid the need to lie. Was Rebekah like that?"_

"_Yes" she said confidently "Rebekah hated lying or being lied to. This is how he chooses doesn't he?" she added, her voice smaller and more emotional "This is how he picks his victims" _

_Klaus nodded, still in thought as he looked sadly at the now empty liquor bottle "He follows them, for days. Then he gets to know them. And doesn't just get to know them, he charms them. Charms them enough to make them forget that just days ago he was their stalker" he added enthusiastically, frowning as he mumbled something under his breath, something that sounded a lot like 'stupid teens'_

"_He can't be old then" Caroline commented, crossing her hands over her chest as Klaus raised a brow in confusion "These are teenagers, they don't like 30 year old men –"_

"_Unless they're loaded..."_

"_Nonetheless" she continued despite his added commentary "My sister would certainly not be charmed by some rich old dude, so this guy has to be young, attractive and charming" _

"_Well then it should be easy to find a young, charismatic kid in New York" Klaus said sarcastically "I think I'll go speak to the parents and relatives of the girls once, see if I can find out more about this stalker guy"_

"_I already spoke to them all" Caroline rebutted confused. _

"_Yes and I'm sure Criminal Minds really sharpened your interrogative skills, but let me give it a shot" Klaus piped up mischievously, making her roll her eyes "See if I can find something your lack of police training might have missed"_

"_Knock yourself out" she scowled, throwing the pencil at him when he had the audacity to chuckle proudly. She had long since stopped being offended by jibes like this from Klaus; it was all just a part of his wonderful, sunny personality. _

_He smiled cheekily and tapped his fingers on the table, watching Caroline as she dug into the depleting reserves of the ice-cream tub. She was truly beautiful, a different kind of beautiful; her blond wavy hair, her azure blue eyes, high cheekbones and furry little nose – in her own way she was one of most beautiful women he had ever seen. And from the downright casual clothes, lack of make-up and sleep look she sported these days, he didn't even want to think how appealing she would be when she took any effort into it. He had been with dozens of women in his time, but he had never really _looked_ at them, not like he seemed to look at Caroline; rendering each of her features to memory and most of all, he looked at her as a woman, not an object to eventually take to his bed. _

_Something, that was very very new to Klaus. Along with being absolutely terrifying. _

_She peeked at him from under her lashes, her brow furrowing when she noticed the way he looking at her. Such a genuine smile did not suit Klaus's face; it made him look – less scary. _

"_What?" she demanded, flicking her unruly hair over her shoulder. _

"_Nothing" he spluttered, slightly embarrassed and turned to look out the window. _

_Shaking her head, she placed a hand on his and remembering how long he had been working, said "You must be hungry, let me make you something to eat"_

_He turned to look at her, his slight moment of embarrassment gone as he snorted "I've been eating out of cardboard boxes for years, this is nice." She laughed at this and he couldn't help but join her, or add "I could get used to this" _

_Her smile grew infinitely larger, stretching her facial muscles as a slight pink hue rose in her cheeks. He gulped as he realized what he had said, inertly slapping himself for blurting things like that. She squeezed his hand as she got to make something for him, and his base instincts to push everyone away kicked in. _

_He yanked his hand out from under hers and stood up in a flash "Let it be. I should go into the office" _

"_Oh" Caroline said meekly, looking from her hand to his stone cold face "Ok" _

_Nodding curtly and pushing away the guilt that reared at seeing her reaction he made his way to the door, when she called out to him again. _

"_Do you want me to come with you when you question the families?" she asked sweetly, the same infuriating warm smile on her face. _

"_No" he replied crudely, his voice coming out a lot more harsher than he intended "I work better alone" _

_He avoided her for three whole days after that. Attempting and catastrophically failing to put her out of his mind, it was like she had been welded into his head, a constant in his thoughts. But the one thing he could do was drown in his work; which he did, working 18 hours a day and immensely pleasing his captain. He still continued looking into Rebekah's case and emailed and texted Caroline whatever he found, but never made any actual contact. She called him several times, he just ignored it._

_But his misguided bliss only lasted a while, on the third day of him ignoring her it came back to him. _

_He had one foot out of the elevator when a clearly irate Dexter all but rammed into him. _

_Standing all too close for either's comfort Dexter announced "You girlfriend is in my..."_

"_She's not my girlfriend..." Klaus interrupted, conveniently ignoring how his mind jumped straight to Caroline._

"_Caroline" Dexter decidedly spoke over him "Is in my lab, waiting for you. I don't like people in my lab" he added through clenched teeth, like his secret room of severed body parts had been found. _

"_Ugh..." Klaus lamented, thinking of any way to avoid seeing her, but Dexter left him no choice. _

"_I told her to wait in your office, but she refused to step foot in it. I don't like people in my lab. Get her out" _

"_Jesus Dex" Klaus rolled his eyes and walked towards his lab. Tentatively, he opened the door and swung it open, to see Caroline sitting on Dexter's stool swirling in it like he always did. _

_She looked different, a lot different than he had gotten used to seeing her the past two weeks. Now she looked like she had when he had first met her; sad and desperate. She grabbed the table to stop her from spinning and got off the stool when he leaned against the door frame. _

_Swallowing a lump in his throat he began "Caroline..."_

"_You left this at my place" she cut him across, her voice hard and strained "Your jacket and some file. I read the file, some Ukrainian drug racket thing, thought it might be important" she extended a paper bag towards him. _

_Blinking furiously he took the bag from her, still trying to process that he had left such a sensitive file at her house, and that she actually read it. Looking down at the bag, which he realized was too heavy to just hold his jacket and a file he managed to frame a sentence "Thank you and I just spoke to the families and..."_

"_I'm sure you'll email me" she looked up at him from under her lashes, fixing him with an unwavering gaze. _

"_You're here I might as well just tell you" he argued, moving to the side as she tried to leave. _

"_No" she whirled around, her hair flying wildly and the word coming out more in a scream. Composing herself she flattened the front of her blouse "No, thank you. Just email me, like you did everything else. I just came to give you that, it looked important and you aren't answering my calls"_

"_Look Caroline I'm sorry" Klaus said using the best apologetic tone he could muster "I was really backed up in work" _

"_Sure" Her hands tightened around her torso as she visibly worked to control her tears. _

"_Why don't I take you for coffee and I can..."_

"_No" she repeated fiercely, her eyes hard and glassy "You made things very clear, and I'm not stupid. I was mad, because you were a jerk. But you know what I don't have any right to be mad at you. We're not friends, this is just some sort of cop pro-bono or something – charity case is what this is. So I'm just going to leave. I'll be waiting for your email."_

_And with that she turned on her heel and strutted away leaving him feeling like..._

"_The scum of the earth" _

_Klaus turned around to see Dexter standing by the other entrance of his lab, seemingly in a better mood since his lab was stranger free. _

"_What?" Klaus asked confused, he seemed to be that very often these days. _

"_What you feel like right now, right?" He pointed out, stepping into his lab "Women have a way of doing that, I have no idea how. Rita does it too, pretends like she's isn't hurt at all but still makes me feel like..."_

"_Scum of the earth" Klaus provided and nodded his head, sighing and resting against the table. When did his life get so complicated? "I have no idea what just happened"_

"_She just guilt tripped you" Dexter educated him, stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning back against the door "She just guilt tripped you into becoming her bitch again"_

"_Excuse me!" Klaus exclaimed coming to his feet, his jaw clenching in anger. _

"_That's how Deb phrases it!" Dexter digressed, raising his hands in surrender "But it is true" When Klaus gave him a skeptical look he added "So you aren't going to go after her and grovel?" _

_Huffing slightly and straightening his jacket Klaus murmured "I didn't say that but I don't grovel" Walking out the door he stopped and turned when Dexter's characteristic laugh hit his ears "I'm still no one's bitch" he pointed out finitely and left._

* * *

Katherine sat in the conference room, tapping her manicured fingernails on the wooden top, her face clearly representing the way the wheels turned in her head. She had spent the past hour going through the various interview recordings ahead of her; her, Elijah and Bonnie had spent the better part of the day reaching out and questioning anyone who could know anything about Caroline – her employers at the day care centre, her friends even to Rebekah's friends.

Their finding being nothing less than useless was an understatement. She sunk her head into her hands as the interviews swarmed her head.

..._I just want to ask you some basic questions, that's all..._

_...You are-were Rebekah's roommate right?_

_...Your twins go to Caroline's daycare Mrs. Roberts?_

_...Caroline used to visit Bekah a lot, we'd see her all the time..._

_... What was Caroline like?_

_...She's just a great girl, I mean..._

_...We were friends since we were 10 years old, she was more like a sister than a friend..._

_...She loved the kids. She was so good with them..._

_...And not just because it was her job. But she loved them, she would take care of them, she would teach them things, if they did anything wrong she would explain it to them..._

_...She was such a lively person, it was like she was always on an adrenaline rush..._

_...Hot!... she's hot – I mean different kind of hot and – hey! Where are you going? I was getting..._

_...She was this big ball of sunshine..._

_...Rebekah invited some of us to Caroline's 25__th__ birthday party! It was so awesome..._

_...My kids loved her, she managed to get through to them like no one else could..._

_...And she's always been like this?_

_...But then..._

_...Rebekah was kidnapped, and everything went to hell..._

_...Caroline was never the same again, she was always sad and depressed..._

_...She lost that light she had... _

_...I tried so hard, I've known her since I was 11 but, I couldn't get through to her..._

_...She was still good with the kids of course, but she didn't enjoy it, she was lifeless and empty..._

_...She hardly talked to anyone..._

_...There was this guy, her boyfriend I think..._

_...He seemed to get through to her, at least a little bit..._

_...He was weird though, we tried to talk to him when they came to pick up stuff from Bekah's dorm but he just growled at us..._

_...He seemed to help her, somehow..._

_...You remember I told you that she'd lost her light?..._

_...Yes_

_...When he was around her she seemed to get some of that light back, she seemed happy..._

_...as happy as she could be... _

_...Anything unusual with her in the past 3 months?_

_... We hardly spoke..._

_... she never returned my calls..._

_...She retracted from us all. The only person who knows anything about Caroline after Rebekah's kidnapping is that boyfriend..._

_... he was her only life after that..._

Katherine groaned in frustration and rested her forehead on the table, wondering how long before Elijah and Bonnie understood that the boyfriend was in fact their hot headed colleague. She didn't know how long she could keep Klaus's secret a secret.

The click of the door pulled her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw Elijah walk in and sit down on the opposite end of the table.

"Any luck?" he asked, pointing at the recordings.

She shook her head and stifled a yawn, glancing at the clock. It had been 8 hours, 4 left – but she was not going to Klaus for help, no she was not.

"We need this boyfriend" Elijah pressed, stamping his fist on the table "I was so sure it was Moriarty, without him I don't know how we're going to get anywhere Katherine"

Dismissing his comment and thankful that somehow none of the people knew Klaus's name, Katherine stood up and grabbed her bag "I'm going to that bar and check things out"

"I'll come with you" Elijah offered.

"No" Katherine said hastily, having no interest in dragging Elijah into the mess Klaus had made "I'll go alone"

* * *

"Tell me again why I have to be here?" Dexter grumbled as he followed Klaus further into the cemetery, looking at the back of Klaus's head as he strode ahead purposefully.

"Because..." Klaus mused absently, more concentrated on looking at the graves "I need a wingman"

"I've seen enough TV to know that partner in crime is not part of a wingman's job description"

"We're different kind of men Dex, so we need different kind of wingmen" Klaus explained, flashing him his cocky dimpled smirk and moving ahead.

Rolling his eyes Dexter pointed out "And why do we need shovels?"

"Because if he did dig up a grave, he's not going to leave it open. So we have to dig it open again"

"Why are we going to-... Klaus" Dexter changed path halfway through, making Klaus stop in his tracks. He never used that name, _ever_ – he always called him Nik.

"What?" Klaus asked wearily, moving his flashlight around to see if anyone else was there.

"This is it" Dexter said, pounding his foot on a grave "This is the one he dug up"

Klaus moved ahead and examined the grave Dexter was staring at "It's fresh". Dexter nodded, pointing at the fresh grass on it, much fresher than the one's around it. It had been recently filled "But maybe this person was just..."

"Unmarked grave; 1950 – 1982" Dexter read, directing his flashlight onto the stone marker "It can't be this fresh if the person was buried in 1982"

"Then this could be it" Klaus concurred, embedding the shovel into the ground and rolling up his sleeves.

"What are we even going to find in here?" Dexter asked, wiping his brow and placing his hands on his hips as he watched Klaus ram the shovel into the dirt again and throw it out. They were almost halfway through, a big pile of dirt on the side of the grave as they dug through.

"I don't know" Klaus huffed, straightening his back and panting heavily "Maybe he scraped himself somewhere, some hair or piece of cloth; something anything"

"Even if we do find it Nik, it won't be admissible"

"I don't want it to admissible" Klaus yelled, throwing his shovel down and turning on Dexter "I'm not planning on taking this guy to court, I want to find him, save Caroline and then kill him"

Ignoring the last statement, Dexter reached for the water bottle in his bag; careful to keep his face away from Klaus he said "You know Rebekah is dead right?"

Klaus didn't say a word, shifting on his feet and looking down at the ground. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he grunted.

"It's been too long Nik" the fact that Dexter was using his best soft, comforting voice was quite alarming "I hate to agree with Fell, but she's right; he _has_ killed her, we just haven't found the body"

Klaus's hands fisted by his side, the anguish clear on his face, even in the dim light of the moon "But Caroline is alive"

"Yes" Dexter agreed, nodding his head, he had to agree with that – Caroline would most certainly still be alive. Sighing and clapping Klaus on the back both bent down to pick up their shovels.

Klaus didn't notice the way Dexter stiffened halfway through; his body bent in an awkward shape as he looked on at something in the darkness, his hand outstretched towards the shovel but frozen in place. His eyes stuck on one thing in the distance – the silhouette of a man walking in this direction, towards them.

"Nik" Dexter whispered, turning off the flashlight and crouching low in the hole.

"What?" Klaus whispered back, recognizing the urgency in Dexter's voice and body language.

"Someone's here" he replied, tilting his head in the direction of the man.

Klaus placed his hand on the flashlight, hoping to shield the light and peeked up. It was faint but visible, a man walked in this direction.

"It can't be the security guard" Klaus observed "He's coming from the wrong direction" Who else could it be?

Who would visit the cemetery so late in the night?

Klaus reached into his back pocket, looking for his badge in case he could intimidate the intruder with it, while Dexter kept his eyes on the man.

Suddenly, the man stopped; fixed on his feet, even in the darkness his shock was seen in his body language, he had seen them, or heard them. Crouched low in the half hole they had dug up, Klaus and Dexter watched the man's suspicious behavior.

"Get a look at his face" Klaus ordered, pulling out his gun as Dexter placed a hand next to the stone marker and directed his flashlight in the direction of the man. The light landed on the object he held in his hands, which he instantly dropped and took off running in the opposite direction.

"What the hell" Klaus commented, lowering his gun and watching as the man ran away.

"Nik" Dexter whispered, his voice low and fearful as he placed a hand on Klaus's arm. This bought Klaus's complete attention on him; he knew the man hated the mere concept of physical contact – which meant something was terribly wrong.

"What?"

"Nik..." Dexter repeated, his eyes flitting between the shriveled petals under his fingers to the object abandoned by the man, illuminated by his flashlight.

"It's him"

"W-What?" Klaus asked baffled, not understanding the other man's sudden fascination with dried flowers.

Dexter turned to him then, his eyes wide and burning like never before "It's him Klaus, it's _him_"

They were both out of the hole in a second, running as fast as their numb legs could carry them, Klaus's gun at the ready and Dexter holding the shovel by his side. The man's shadow was the only thing visible now, having disappeared somewhere in the darkness. Stone markers passed him by in a blur as he ran hastily and Dexter only a feet behind him. This was his chance, if this was the man – he could find Caroline. She could be with him within hours, safe and secure in his arms.

All he had to do was catch him.

One turn and the elusive man disappeared into the night, no sign of him anywhere.

By the time they reached the spot where he had been standing, a bouquet of flowers lying abandoned on the grass the only proof of his presence, he was long gone. He was lost somewhere in the woods behind the cemetery and they had no chance of finding him.

"Fuck fuck..." Klaus spit venomously, thumping his fists on his thighs and bending over in an attempt to catch his breath. His chest hurt; from running like the wind, but more so from the stolen image in his head. An image which could have become a beautiful reality. He was so close, so close. He could see the small, tired smile on her face when he found her, but with the man that image was gone. The reality was gone.

The hope was gone.

"Fuck!" he repeated aggravated, holding his knees and breathing out roughly "He's gone"

"Nik wait..." Dexter huffed, resting his hand on a gravestone and breathing just as erratically as Klaus.

"I AM NEVER GOING TO FIND HER" Klaus bellowed into the night, kicking into the thin air, the dust rising around his half-shaking body as a result. His hands balled up into fists by his chest and he closed his eyes in despair, in a silent prayer.

"Look at these flowers" Dexter said, standing up straight and walking closer to him.

"I don't give a _fuck_ about some flowers!"

"Nik, calm down..."

"Don't tell me to fuc-"

"Calm the fuck down" Dexter yelled back, walking into the incensed man's face, raising his voice three levels higher than Klaus's "You bought me here to help you so you're going to shut up and listen to me" he added authoritatively.

Satisfied by Klaus's lack of further yelling, Dexter continued "Look at the flowers; lilies. Same like the one withered by the grave. They look like they were put there a week back"

"So?" Klaus challenged taking a step away.

"So... so?" Dexter pressed agitated by the sudden onset of dumbness in his friend "What kind of a serial killer visits the grave he robbed and put flowers there? And from the looks of it he does it every week. And why that grave? Why that coffin? There are 100 others here, why that one?"

"Because... because" Klaus mumbled, his eyes narrowing as the wheels in his head turned in the right direction.

"Because he knows the person. _Knew_ the person" Dexter provided "Whoever was buried there was someone to our killer, and if he find out who was buried there..."

"We can find him" Klaus supplied, exhaling loudly and wobbling on his aching feet he let out a dark laugh. Was this ever going to end?

"And if we find him then we can find..." Dexter added forebodingly.

_Caroline._

* * *

"Have you ever seen this woman around here?"

The shady bartender looked up from wiping a beer glass with a dirty rag, his brow quirking at the sight of Katherine he let out a small, almost unnoticeable snort. _Almost_.

"No" he replied, taking a quick peek at Caroline photo on the bar.

"Look" Katherine said categorically, placing her hands on her hips so he could see her badge and gun holstered to her belt "I know she was here, more than once, so unless you want me to take you down to the police station; you'll take another look, and tell me what she did here. Who she spoke to?"

Eyeing her angrily, the bartender halted his 'cleaning' activities and focused on the picture. Frowning slightly, he bent his head down as if to get a better look.

"So she come here right?" Katherine prodded.

"Yeah... sort of" he replied, a baffled look gracing his face.

"What do you mean sort of?"

"Well I mean..." he hesitated "I remember that face, she came here every day for two weeks. But this is different" he added tapping the photo.

"What do you mean different?" Katherine jibed angrily "Was it her or not?'

"Oh yeah it was her" he said confidently "But she wasn't a blonde"

"_What_?"

"It was the same girl. But she was a brunette"

* * *

In case you don't know what to say to that confusing chapter just follow me lead –

Dear Tanya,

How dare you end every chapter with weird facts of Caroline 's hair?

How dare you make Klaus all angsty and sad?

How dare you give such less flashbacks?

Just how dare you?

insert name here


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N- A year later – an update! Lol sorry for the long wait, but I've been so so so busy these days, I hope this slightly longer chapter is worth the wait and please do let me know what you think! REVIEW tc..._

* * *

**Chapter 8.**

* * *

It was supposed to be another normal day. Just another normal day; he would get up early, play with Harrison, eat breakfast with Rita and the kids and drop them to school on his way to work. Just a normal day which took an unfortunate turn early on.

Dexter leaned against the elevator wall, his hands in his pocket and his bag slung across his shoulder, itching to get to his computer so he could find out who was buried in that grave. When the doors opened, he walked forward right into the face of Meredith. She raised a brow and shook her head despairingly, moving aside to let him out.

"What?" he asked, turning around to watch as she walked into the elevator and pushed a button; women and their expressions always baffled him.

"Nothing," she replied cryptically, her tone saying differently than her words, "Finn wants to see you."

Finn was scary in a very non-scary way, but when he wanted to be he could invoke the fear of god in anyone. Dexter had never had much interaction with Finn; being a mere lab rat socializing with the top brass of the department was not something he was accustomed to. However, he had heard enough about Finn from Klaus to respect the man, _and_ fear him.

Dexter took a deep breath before walking into Finn's office, stuffing his hands in his pocket and smiling weakly at the Captain. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Finn said, his mouth in a tight line as he slammed the file shut and stood up, walking towards Dexter as he came to stand near the desk. "I'm very sorry about this Dexter, but I have to suspend you for a while."

His eyes wide and baffled, Dexter spluttered "Wh-what? Why?"

Finn sighed, turning around to walk back to his chair. "Klaus used your keycard to come into the building yesterday – and don't try to deny it, one of the guys saw him and we pulled the video feed. He was in your lab, and I can only assume what the conversation was about, Dexter."

Wringing his hands together in nervousness, Dexter moved forward. "Look I was going to-"

"I'm sorry," Finn spoke over him, his tone firm and relentless, clearly indicating that he wasn't about to budge from his decision, "I'm doing everything I can to try and protect Nik from losing his job, and I can't do that if you keep feeding him confidential information. So, until this blasted Bikini Killer case is closed you are suspended."

"Uhm," Dexter muttered, swaying on the balls of his feet, "Ok, I just have to check one thing –"

"No, your office is all packed; take your belongings from my assistant."

"I just need my computer for one mi-"

"No Dexter," Finn said authoritatively, "Go home and spend time with your wife - just relax for a while."

* * *

_Klaus stood by the front door, his hands by his side as he wondered just how he could get Caroline to stop hating him. Apologizing or even feeling the need to apologize was not something he was good at doing. He'd never felt any remorse for how he treated people, that is how he was programmed, but unfortunately it wasn't so easy with Caroline. After seeing her fallen and dejected face in Dexter's office, he knew he had to at least attempt to string two words of an apology together. _

_Suddenly, the door swung open just as he was about to knock, revealing an irate Caroline; her hands folded over her chest as she sneered at him. "Were you ever planning on knocking?"_

_Klaus sighed. Realizing that she wasn't going to make this any easier on him, he walked past her and headed the kitchen counter, placing his bag on it and pulling out a file. "I found out something when I spoke to the girls' relatives again."_

"_And you couldn't have just emailed me this?" Caroline quipped, bitterness dripping from every syllable. _

"_Look Caroline," Klaus said exasperatedly. Turning around to look at her, his eyes softened slightly. "We had a little misunderstanding, can we please just move on?" _

_She muttered the word 'misunderstanding' under her breath, but didn't stop him when he started to talk again. She merely crossed her arms tighter around herself and narrowed her eyes at him._

"_So I spoke to almost all of Rebekah's friends, and I think I found something," he paused to pull out a picture and hand it over to Caroline. "I sincerely doubt the police questioned the girl, I don't think her friends thought to even mention her. I knew something was missing..."_

"_Yeah, yeah," Caroline prodded, shaking the photo in his face, "who is she?" she asked, pointing at the other blonde standing next to Rebekah. _

"_She's one of Rebekah's friend; internet friend though, so no one mentioned her. Candis Martin." _

"_I've never heard of her before," Caroline crinkled her nose, "Or seen her. Why would Rebekah never tell me about her?" _

_Klaus was silent for a second as he watched her __discombobulated_ _face, watching as she looked anywhere but at him. "You know why it's so hard to talk to people right in front of you?" When she finally turned her gaze to his and shook her head he continued "Because you can see the judgment on their face; on the internet that doesn't happen."_

"_So you think Rebekah could have told her something she told no one else?" Caroline asked skeptically._

"_I think it's a possibility," Klaus answered, putting the file back in his bag, "which is why we have to go talk to her." _

"We?_" Caroline raised a brow, a small smile forming on her lips. "So my lack of police training isn't a hindrance anymore?" she added._

_He turned to face her, his eyes catching the mirth in hers for a moment before glancing away abruptly. "You're never a hindrance." The words were right, but he spoke gruffly and uncomfortably, quick to change the subject. "Let's go."_

_She smiled and shook her head, grabbing her jacket and following him out the door. That day she learnt that Klaus didn't know how to apologize, but somehow he always let her know when he was sorry._

"_I don't understand," the blonde, slightly inebriated and most definitely confused woman said. She turned her gaze from a frowning Caroline to a fake-smiling Klaus. "Rebekah was kidnapped weeks ago, why am I being questioned now?"_

_Caroline raised her brows and expectantly turned to Klaus, folding her hands in her lap and widening her eyes at the man. "Yeah, tell her." _

"_Because the police didn't think there was any need to question you; they're stupid like that sometimes." Klaus shot back, sparing a cross look for Caroline. He turned back to Candis with his flirty, pretend smile - the one he occasionally used to lure unsuspecting victims to bend to his will; sometimes literally - plastered on his face. "But I wanted to ask you a few questions."_

"_Who are you exactly?" Candis asked, eying him curiously. _

"_A private investigator," Caroline supplied before Klaus could whip out his badge and attempt to fluster the girl further, "I hired him to help find Rebekah." _

_Klaus rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Yes and a friend of Rebekah's told me that you and she were good friends." _

_Candis sighed, placing her elbows on the table and wringing her hands together. "We were good friends. We didn't get to meet that often because we stay far away and I work a lot, but we spoke over the internet frequently."_

"_Which is why I wanted to talk to you," Klaus digressed, shifting his chair to face the suddenly grim girl, "was there anything strange about how Rebekah behaved before she was kidnapped? Did she tell you anything different, anything that wasn't normal?" _

"_I-I don't know what you mean? Different how?" she stuttered back, piquing Klaus's interest. _

"_Did she say or do something she'd never done before?" _

"_No, nothing like that." _

_A few moments of silence passed by as Caroline bared witness to a silent staring match between Klaus and Candis. The girl seemed confident in her statement but obviously Klaus thought differently. He fixed her with an unwavering gaze, his eyes wide and demanding until she finally broke. Clearing her throat and looking down at her lap, Candis murmured, "Well I picked her up from this bar one night when she was too drunk to drive. She asked me to come and pick her up. I did just that; picked her up and dropped her back at her dorms." _

"_Why _you_?" Caroline piped up suddenly, unable to keep the hint of hurt from her tone. Why had Rebekah called some friend at such a time and not her, her sister? "Why didn't she call me? I always told her to call me at times like that." _

_Klaus jerked in his chair; his hand moving slightly as if he was about to offer some comfort to Caroline, but thought against it. Instead, he kept his eyes on the girl they were questioning. _

"_I don't know," Candis said apologetically, shrugging her shoulders and offering Caroline a small smile. "Rebekah didn't want people to know I suppose that's why she called me. I mean who would I tell?" she added rhetorically, her explanation doing very little to lessen the sudden weight in Caroline's chest._

"_Which bar was this?" Klaus asked, getting back on track instantly, "and what did she tell you about this place or who she met there?" _

_Candis stood up and walked over to a dresser by the table, finding her purse she began to fish through it, looking for something. Having found what she was wanted, she walked back towards Klaus and Caroline and placed a coaster on the table. "That's the bar she went to. It was unusual; it was so far off the highway and not exactly filled with _Rebekah_ kind of people... but still that's where I picked her up from."_

"_Did she tell you why she went there?" Caroline asked in a small voice, a sudden aching pang spreading through her as she picked up the coaster and held it in her hand. She couldn't make any sense of this. Why would Rebekah go to a bar like this? Why would she hide it from her? _

"_I don't know Caroline," Candis answered her, her voice slightly softening. "I'm sorry, I wish I could be of more help."_

"_If you think of anything else, this is my number. Call if you can think of-"_

"_Was she meeting someone there?" Caroline cut off Klaus in a hurry, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look at Candis. "A guy? I mean why would she go to this place, alone? And then get drunk?"_

"_I don't know... I think she met a guy once, but nothing serious."_

"_But then, why would she..."_

"_Caroline," Klaus warned turning to face her, though he didn't look as stern as he sounded. "You don't get all the answers in one place. We'll find out, don't worry." Defeated and thoroughly confused, she slowly nodded and wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to numb the pain. _

_It was hard knowing that Rebekah had kept secrets from her. It was hard knowing she had a friend Caroline never knew about. It was hard listening to someone talk about her and never knowing if she'd ever see her again. It was all just too hard._

"_I'm sorry." Candis supplied just as they were standing up to leave, her glassy eyes fixed on Caroline. "If I knew I could help, I would. I'm sorry."_

"_It's ok," Klaus answered for Caroline when she just stood by his side and stared at the other blonde. "You gave us a place to start. If you think of _anything_ else, do let me know."_

_Klaus spent two minutes on the phone outside Candis's house, pulling favours to get the security camera tapes from in and around the bar, only to find out that there were no security cameras around the bar. He also wanted to give Caroline some time alone as she was emotional right now, and if there was one thing Klaus was _not_ good at – then it was comforting someone; especially someone who confused him as much as Caroline did. _

"_Are you alright?" he asked in his best concerned voice once he slid back into the driver's seat, watching her intently as she turned her face away from him and wiped the remnants of her tears. He couldn't be more thankful for her need to be strong around him and never cry. He hated tears - they made him uncomfortable, and watching Caroline cry was a completely different ball game. It didn't make him feel uneasy or uncomfortable; it made him feel responsible – like it was his job to make it all better and he hated feeling like that, feeling weakened by a crying girl. _

_Klaus was _not_ weak._

"_I'm fine," Caroline replied, trying to smile through her tears and shift in her seat. Nodding her head as if to emphasize her words she added, "Let's go, I'm fine." _

_Satisfied and not interested in divulging more into the emotional rollercoaster that was this woman, Klaus huffed in response and turned to start to car. That's when he noticed something in Caroline's hand. "What's that?" he asked, not even thinking before extending his hand towards hers, grazing it over the soft skin of the back of her palm before turning her hand over and uncurling her tight grip over the small object. _

_A small, nostalgic smile formed on her face as she opened her palm and let him take the object from her hand. Watching as he twirled it in his fingers and observed it curiously, her mind travelled back to when she had first seen that. _

_It was a falcon, a metal pendant of sorts with silver plating. All the sharp edges of the design were worn and torn from the years, and in a few areas the coating had begun to scrape off. It was old, that much Klaus could tell. It was also important if she had kept it for so many years. _

"_A falcon? Really?" he chided and smirked as she rolled her eyes at his condescending tone. Of course he would think she would have some girly jewelry – like fairies and unicorns. _

_Before she knew it, she found herself speaking the images in her head. "I was nine years old and Rebekah was five. Our father was ill; so sick that everyone knew he wasn't going to make it. Rebekah was terrified - she was still so young that she was afraid of monsters and that someone would stuff her in a gunny sack and steal her." she couldn't help the small fond laugh that left her at the memory of little Rebekah._

"_With father so ill, she was terrified that all the creepy crawlies would get her. So, on his death bed, literally a few hours before he died; he gave the three of us these falcons – me, Rebekah and our half-brother. He said that falcons were guardians, protectors. And that now we had to be each other's falcons. There were things out in the world, he said, things that would harm us, and that we had to protect each other from them." she put on her best imitation of her father's stern voice as she said this, turning her teary eyes away from Klaus as a reminiscent smile graced her face. _

"_Since that day, the three of us have always kept this close to us. It's what gives us hope in the darkest of times." _

_And then Klaus did something he had never done before – he made an attempt to comfort someone. He placed a soft, reassuring hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn to him and look him in the eye. "We'll find her" he said, surely and with determination, like there was no other option but to find her. Like no other alternative was acceptable to him. _

_It was the best he could do, and it was by far the worst words of comfort ever offered, but when she smiled warmly and squeezed the hand that rested on her shoulder, he knew that she understood. Caroline always understood him, even when he couldn't understand himself. _

_Since the first time he had met, she had invoked unknown emotions in him, ones he never experienced before. And at that moment, watching her smile weakly through her tears and control her increasing fears, he found himself gripped with another alien emotion. He wanted to do everything and anything to never see her cry again. _

_He wanted to be her falcon._

* * *

"It was the same girl. But she was a brunette"

Katherine stood dumbfounded by the bar, her hand frozen on the picture of Caroline as she blinked at the confused bartender.

Caroline was a brunette? She couldn't imagine how Klaus couldn't have mentioned that. Or maybe he never knew himself? Was it possible?

"Are you sure?" she said slowly, her brows furrowing in deep thought.

"Yes" he said exasperatedly "I can tell the difference between blonde and brunette. And _this_ girl was definitely not a blonde"

"And she came here?" Katherine asked, her mind whirring with a million different thoughts, but one in particular sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Yes. Every day for almost two weeks, until she suddenly stopped." the bartender replied, the irritation clear in his voice.

"What about her?" Katherine piped up, digging from a photo from a file and slapping it on the bar. "Have you ever seen her?"

The bartender's forehead crinkled as he utilized every possible brain cell to think hard and study the photo, placing a finger on his chin and humming to himself as he tried to remember that face.

_It couldn't be._

"I think so, yeah" he said after a few seconds. "But that a while ago"

"Ok, I need you to so as I say, do you understand?" Katherine asked authoritatively, fishing inside her bag for something "Put down that dirty rag and pay attention"

* * *

Katherine placed a protective hand over her forehead as she tried to read the address off her phone in the blaring sun. Sighing, she stuffed the phone in her jean pocket and made her way towards the small, slightly crooked house, determination in her every stride. Her instinct is what had gotten here where she was today and right now, the little voice in the back of her head was screaming at her.

There was something important here, she could just smell it.

Only a few knocks were needed before the faded, green door swung open, revealing a young blonde woman, somewhere in her twenties, with her hair tied in a messy bun and Pringles stuffed in her mouth. Gulping hastily and offering Katherine a small embarrassed smile, the woman spoke "How can I help you?"

"Candis Martin?" Katherine asked, letting out a sigh of relief when the woman nodded her head in response.

Five minutes later Katherine was sitting in the dining table, facing a slightly uneasy Candis as she divulged into her reasons to visit.

"You knew Rebekah Forbes right?" Katherine asked politely, removing a file from her bag and flipping through it. She only received a nod from the woman so she continued "And the police never spoke to you about her kidnapping?"

"No" she replied, shifting in her chair uncomfortably "But uhm I did speak to Caroline and some private detective?"

"Private detective?" Katherine blinked.

"Yeah, ugh Klaus something..."

"Right" Katherine masked her surprise by referring to her file before looking up at the blonde again "You picked up Rebekah from this bar a couple of times right?"

"Not a couple of times, just once" Candis answered, tucking a stray curl behind her ears and looking down at her mug of coffee.

"Really?" Katherine asked skeptically "Because the bartender remembers you picking her up at least three times"

"What do you want?" Candis asked abruptly, fixing her hair more resolutely and gracing Katherine with a stern glare "I already spoke to Caroline and that guy. Trust me, I know nothing of importance. So I think it would be best if you just-..."

"I'll be the judge of that" Katherine quipped, her voice low and threatening as she snapped the file shut. She could tell the girl was lying, her uneasiness and eagerness to get rid of her was all too obvious. "Who was Rebekah meeting there? She couldn't have been going _alone_ to that place"

"I think she met a guy once, but it wasn't anything serious." Came her prompt reply as she unnecessarily ran her fingers through her hair again, fixing them behind her ear.

"You're lying" Katherine stated, a small tight smile forming on her face.

"No, I'm not" Candis said defiantly.

"You tuck your hair behind your ear every time you lie. Now who was she meeting?" Katherine demanded, leaning forward and forcing her to look her in the eye.

When Candis remained stoutly silent, Katherine knew she had to take drastic measures. Her instincts were clawing at her, she knew there was something here, she just knew it. And her instinct was never wrong, it hadn't been wrong about Klaus, and it wouldn't be wrong here either.

Katherine's eyes turned to slits as she lowered her frame, resting her hands on the table she leveled her eyes with the girls "Rebekah is dead; we found her body today morning. I think it's about time you tell the truth about what you know. You owe her that much."

A raspy gasp escaped the girl as she covered her face with her hands, resting her elbows on the desk and shaking her head profusely, as if that would make it untrue. Katherine gave her a moment to digest her lie before egging her on "Tell me Candis, and maybe we'll be able to catch the man who killed her"

"Look, I know nothing about the killer, I swear!" she whined, removing her hands and looking at Katherine with glassy eyes "If I did then the FBI wouldn't have sent me away"

"Wait, _what_?" Katherine exclaimed "You told them what you know?"

"Yes, I went to them two days after Rebekah was kidnapped, I thought they would come to me, but when they didn't I thought I should tell them what I know. But they sent me away; they said it had nothing to do with the kidnapping, that he couldn't be the guy"

"Who couldn't be the guy?" Katherine asked dazedly "Start from the beginning, tell me what you know"

"Rebekah was meeting a guy at that bar" Candis sniffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand "And not just some guy, she was meeting the guy who she thought was stalking her"

"_What?" _

Katherine felt like all her mixed emotions and feelings for the past two hours could be defined in one single word – _what? _Instantly words and phrases from the file she had read flitted through her mind. She remembered reading that Rebekah and all the other girls who had been kidnapped had thought that someone had been following them, and now according to the tired, defeated woman ahead of her – Rebekah was willingly meeting her stalker.

_What_?

"A few days before Rebekah first went to that bar, she told me – and other people as well – that she thought someone was stalking or following her" Candis digressed "One day she thinks she's being stalked and three days later, she says she was being paranoid and it was just a '_misunderstanding'_. I never even knew she was meeting that same guy until she drunkenly told me one day" she added as an afterthought.

"Ok, what else?" Katherine urged.

"I told her that it wasn't a good idea the next day. I mean _misunderstanding_ or not – it just didn't sound right. But she didn't listen to me, and she didn't Caroline, because she knew Caroline would tell her exactly what I did."

"And that's why you never told this to Klaus and Caroline" Katherine said knowingly, letting out a strangled breath as she tried to make a clear picture from all these broken pieces.

"All Rebekah talked about was making Caroline proud. About how hard Caroline worked to put Rebekah through college, how hard she worked to take care of her after their parents died, after their brother died. She was already hurting, I didn't see any point in letting her know that Rebekah was hiding things from her." Candis voiced exactly what Katherine had been thinking, running a harried hand through her hair before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"Rebekah really fell for that guy Miss. Pierce. And as much I wanted to think he was just using her, or playing with her – I think he cared for her too"

"What do you mean?" Katherine inquired "What made you think that?"

Candis remained silent for a few minutes, lowering her head to look at her hands twisted together before slowly answering "He told her to stay away from him. I picked her up one night, and she was totally hammered and she couldn't stop talking about how much she cared for him, and that he told her to stay away from him. He said that he would only put her in danger. It seemed to me, at that time, like it was his way of pushing her away after he was done with her."

"And _did_ she stay away from him?" Katherine asked though she already knew the answer.

Candis let out a soft laugh, the hurt and pain evident in her laughter "No, she didn't. Rebekah really _really_ cared for him – I think she fell in love with him. And two days later, I picked her up again and I saw them, in the parking lot, fighting. And as much as I wanted to believe he was just another egoistical bastard jerking around with her, I couldn't see that in him"

"You saw him?" Katherine's words came out in a whisper, so low and so calculated that if Candis hadn't been sitting right next to her, she would never have heard it "You know what he looks like?"

"It was dark, and they were 20 feet away. I just saw the side of his face, a little bit, nothing useful. She was yelling and screaming at him and he was trying to talk to her – but she was drunk. And I think he cared for her too Miss Pierce"

Candis was silent for a while, watching as a cloud of emotions and realizations passed over Katherine's face before she spoke again "His body language, they way he tried to explain himself, it just... it didn't fit with some philandering play boy. I heard fear in his voice; not fear of not being able to get rid of a clingy woman, but fear _for her_. I didn't know what to think of it – I _still_ don't know what to think of it"

"What after that?" Katherine asked, her voice hoarse and emotionless as she finally saw the finished picture in her head.

"She ignored my messages, emails, calls. And two days later she was kidnapped" Candis replied, her eyes starting to water once again "I went to the FBI and told them this but they told me there were certain the killer was above the age of 40. They said this was just a coincidence and had nothing to do with her kidnapping. Meredith Fell said '_It doesn't_..."

"_Fit the pattern_" Katherine completed for her, her eyes closing in anguish as Candis looked up at her with surprise. "You should have told this to Klaus, Candis."

"Why?" the girl whispered, rooted in fear as the thought of her worst nightmare coming true.

"Because this means the FBI, Klaus – they've all got it wrong" Katherine mumbled absently, bouncing off her chair and throwing all the files into the bag, only one thought in her mind – she had to get to Klaus. _Now_. Pride be damned, he needed to know this.

Stopping at the door to look at the shaking and confused girl, Katherine decided to relive her for the time being "I lied. Rebekah isn't dead, _yet_. Just hope and pray that you keeping this to yourself hasn't made it too late to save her"

* * *

Caroline had been sleeping soundly, dreamless that too, after a long _long_ time, when she was suddenly jostled from her sleep and blackness enveloped her. She could feel the soft material of the cloth grazing along her nose and lips as it was thrust over her head, rendering her completely blind. She wanted to scream and fight and protest as she was dragged from her cell, but she was far too exhausted – the lack of water and food making it impossible for her to fight back.

Wincing as she was hurled down onto a wooden floor, she felt someone stand over her, and from the stench of sweat and alcohol she knew who it was. Dread filled her as the cloth on her head was yanked away, revealing a large room and the silhouette of a man – the man, the _master_ – standing above her, a sinister smile on his face as his fingers snapped together rather comically. Squinting her eyes at her surrounding, she noticed the other man standing in the corner, averting his eyes and looking away from her – and finally she recognized him. But she had no time to dwell over that, as the man towering over her pushed her down on the floor, turning her over so he could look at her. It was the first time she got to see her captors face, and she tried to render it to her memory, but she knew it was of no use.

She knew what was going to happen now, the same thing that had happened to the girl before her, and the other girls before that girl. And as man lowered his head and clicked his tongue at her, she knew this was the end, her end. And all she could think of was that somehow, by some _miracle_ – Rebekah would be safe and happy one day, and that maybe, just _maybe_ Klaus wouldn't destroy himself. Caroline closed her eyes, defiantly not crying or begging for her life when she felt him grab her head and yank it forward, only to have him roughly push her back, making her head bang against the floorboard.

Suddenly, his looming presence over her vanished and she opened her eyes in confusion. Turning around to watch as he stormed his way to the other man cowering in the corner, a coffin sitting at one end of the room caught her attention, before the hushed whispers between the two men bought her back to them. Watching, as they softly argued and the older man grabbed the others man's hand tightly, pulling him towards him and drawling in his face. She wanted to run, she wanted to get up and use this to her advantage, but she could hardly find the strength to push herself up, there was no way she would make it out of here fast enough – and she didn't even know where she was.

Just as she was trying to look for a window or a door, she heard the older man hiss loudly '_take her back'_, and she felt strong, yet soft hands grab her by her arms and hoist her up. She turned to look at him, itching to open her mouth and confirm her doubts, but he turned to look at her and slowly shook his head, his warm brown eyes widening in warning and apology as he placed the cloth over her head again. She leaned against him as he wrapped a hand around her waist and guided her back to her cell.

"Why didn't he kill me?" she croaked, once he bought her back to her little hell hole, clearing her throat and looking around her cell dejectedly "He was going to kill me. Why didn't he?"

In the darkness of her cell, she couldn't see his face, but she could feel the way he sighed against her face as he pulled the cloth off her head. Almost absently, he twirled a few strands of her hair in his hand and mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like '_Because you're blonde'_.

And like a ton of bricks, it all came crashing down on her – her wig, he was the one who had practically ripped the wig from her head, indirectly saving her life. Or had it been intentional?

Was he trying to help her? Why else would he take her wig, if not to make sure that his partner wouldn't kill her?

"Help me" she begged, her hands automatically flying in front of her and joining together, as if in prayer.

Before she could say anything, his hands enveloped hers, lowering them and she could see him shaking his head as he softly whispered "Just hold on, do as he says, don't anger him. I _will_ get you out"

And then he was gone, briskly walking out of the cell and closing the door. She slithered towards the iron bars like a snake, desperate to know more, needing to get answers, but he shushed her frantically, pointing to one side and firmly shaking his head.

"Just have patience" he said and was gone in a flash, leaving her alone once again.

And it was only after he left that she realized there was something in her hand, he had slipped something into her hand without her even noticing. Moving back into the depths of her cell, she observed the object, bringing it up to her eye-level to see it better in the dim light.

It was metallic and silver, with sharp edges that pricked her fingers, and from the chipped coating it seemed old. It seemed like a pendant of sorts.

A Falcon. It was a Falcon.

Rebekah's Falcon.

* * *

And if you don't know what to review to such a horrible (and late) chapter, just follow my lead –

Dear Tanya,

How dare you update after a century?

How dare you keep confusing us with hair colors?

How dare you bring in Falcons to confuse us more?

Just how dare you?

insert name here


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N- I hope you're as proud of a relatively quick update as I am. Yes this is quick for me! We find out a LOT this chapter, even though its smaller than the rest, and also some Klaroline feels (I hope). Do let me know what you think! Review tc..._

* * *

**Chapter 9.**

* * *

"_Have you ever lost anyone?" _

_Only a soft grumble of response left Klaus as he wriggled in his sleep, causing Caroline's head to move along with his body. Shifting her head back to rest over his stomach, she ran a soothing hand up from the bare, warm skin of his abdomen to his chest, trying to rouse him from his half-sleeping state. Somehow, for a self-proclaimed 'cold hearted man' he was always warm to touch. Sighing into the dip of his lower stomach she repeated her question, a little loudly this time. _

_His entire body gyrated as he groaned in irritation, resting a hand on her messy curls and mumbling, "No, I've never been married." _

_Rolling her eyes and giggling at his nonsensical response, she turned around to face him, resting her chin on his stomach and lightly tapping him on the chest, hard enough to make him open his eyes and look down at her. "I didn't ask if you were ever married. Though it makes me wonder what you dream about." She added as an afterthought. _

"_What?" he yawned, rubbing his eyes and turning to look at the digital clock on the bedside table, "It's late, go to sleep." _

"_Five minutes." she pleaded, crawling up his lean frame until she reached the crook of his neck, nuzzling her nose against his jaw she put on her best whiny yet adorable voice and added, "Please?"_

"_What. What?" he murmured incoherently, rubbing his palms over his face almost violently and silently reprimanding himself for not being able to tell her to shut up and go to sleep. _

"_Have you ever lost anyone?" she repeated for the third time, half-climbing on top of him to make herself comfortable. _

_The tone of her soft, sorrow tainted voice made him forget his momentary annoyance at having his beauty sleep disturbed as he pulled his arms around her, bounding her closer to him; physical gestures were his only type of extending comfort. Sighing loudly and brushing her unruly hair off her face he asked, "What do you mean?" _

"_I mean..." she hesitated, intimidated by the serious look in his eyes she averted her gaze and continued, "Someone you love. Like I lost my parents and Stefan?" _

_He took a minute to appreciate her stubbornness; even despite so many failed attempts and an almost declaration by the police that there was no hope left, Caroline still refused to believe she had lost Rebekah. And Klaus genuinely believed she would never let go of her sister, her resolve to find and believe in Rebekah was what attracted him to her in the first place. _

"_I've never really had anyone Caroline" he digressed, already getting uncomfortable with this line of dialogue. Feelings, and more importantly expressing said feelings were not qualities he prided himself on. But from his short time with Caroline, he had come to understand that sometimes; if he wished not to anger her and undergo days of guilt and feeling like the 'scum of the earth' – he had to indulge her in times like this. So he did, answering as honestly and gently as he could, knowing that there were some things about him she could never understand. And it always amazed him how she took those things with a grain of salt and never judged and belittled him for it. _

"_I was two when my parents died in a car crash. I only found out when I turned 18 and started digging around. I never had parents, just foster homes." _

"_No siblings?" she asked. _

"_Nope" he responded with a small smile, watching the way her head rose and fell with his every breath, completely in-sync. "No siblings, and I've never had an actual friend other than Dexter."_

"_What about girlfriends?" she inquired with fake innocence, nudging him in the ribs when he laughed at catching the bitterness in her tone. _

"_I've never had girlfriends." He answered coyly, his hand moving to graze her cheek on instinct when she lightly kissed his chest. _

"_Never?" she demanded, her brows furrowing furthermore when he shook his head, "Not even one?" she added almost appalled at the thought. _

"_I don't do girlfriends." He answered nonchalantly, pursing his lips when her nose crinkled in half-annoyance and half-anger. _

"_Why do you like me?" she burst out, fighting her sudden urge to blush and cower in embarrassment, she raised her brows and stared up at Klaus._

"_Well because you're quite naked at this moment." He quipped impishly, tantalizingly running his fingers from her hips to the curve of her breast. _

"_I'm serious Klaus." she said defiantly, scurrying away from his distracting hands. _

"_I know." he lamented, he could see just how serious she from her eyes. "Isn't this enough touchy feely for today? Let's schedule this conversation for next week." He added in what he thought was a joking tone, but from the way Caroline's face paled and her eyes drooped down it was clear that he didn't sound as witty as he wished to. _

"_Ok." She mumbled in defeat, shrinking away from him but he held her in place, grumbling inertly and cursing his lack of willpower he said, "Caroline ugh..."_

_Honesty is what he always went with, and it was always something she appreciated. And as always, she did what she always did when he refused to talk about his feelings; shrug and smile with the least amount of hurt possible and said, "It's okay."_

"_No its not" he countered, bounding her to him with more fervor. "I just don't know how to explain it." _

"_Try?" she said meekly, smiling warmly and relaxing in his arms when she realized she had won this battle. _

_He thought about it for a minute, wondering how to word what or why he felt what he did – especially when he himself had no idea what he felt. And that's when he realized it, he'd never really had anyone; no parents, siblings, friends, girlfriends, nothing. The only thing he had to show for his 30 years of existence, the only real person he had in his life was Caroline; and he owed her this. _

"_You know how you have that blue tattered shirt?" he suddenly quipped, moving up against the pillows so he could get a good look at her. The twinkle in his eyes made her crinkle her forehead in intrigue as she nodded and urged him to continue. _

"_You buy clothes all the time; on sale, off sale. You've been trying on different clothes and style's your whole life, but that one faded, old shirt still remains. I know it means something to you, that it has a special place in your life. And after you buy new clothes and throw away the old, out of fashion one – this one never leaves you. Every time you open your wardrobe, it's always there – sitting in its dirty, torn, ragged glory. But it's always there. Nothing fits you better than that blue shirt."_

"_What are you talking about?" Caroline said with a small laugh, shaking her head at his inventive methods to explain things to her. _

"_I'm saying that that – you're my old, smelly, tattered, blue shirt." he declared, scrunching up his face quite comically as he replayed the words in his head and let out a laugh causing her to chuckle along with him. "Ok maybe that was a bad analogy, but what I mean is..."_

"_And what you mean is?" she egged him on, not letting go now that he had opened up slightly. _

"_I tried on a lot of things in my life Caroline." Klaus said, a small trace of sadness clouding his otherwise neutral voice. "I tried to study, it didn't fit. I joined the army and did some things I'll never forget, but it didn't fit. I even tried to be a painter, and that didn't fit at all. I joined the FBI, jumped from missing persons to narcotics – and it feels like that's where I belong, but..."_

"_Still doesn't fit?" she supplied, shrugging slightly. _

"_And then I found you, and you fit perfectly" he whispered, leaving a ghost of a kiss over her ear and felt her smile into his skin, "Like you were made just for me. And no matter what happens, what new things I try on – I know you'll always be there."_

"_Well to be fair, Mr. Mikaelson" Caroline said sultrily, slithering up his body like a snake and pressing her cheek against his, making his short, spiky stubble graze against the softness of her skin. Breathing into his ear, she hissed "_I _was the one who found _you"

"_Oh! I see" he mocked, getting with these playful turn of events and flipped her onto her back, hovering over her and nestling in between her legs, "Does that mean you get to take all the credit?"_

"_Mmhmm" she mumbled against his ear as he sloppily kissed her jaw and neck, "We both know I'm the smart one in this relationship."_

"_Oh and what does that make me?" _

_She pretended to think about this extremely important question for a full minute, pursing her lips and biting her inner cheek while he nibbled on her neck, before declaring with a bright smile and a little happy dance, "You're the pretty face and nothing more."_

"_Oh really?" he challenged with a menacing growl and narrowing of his eyes, attempting to frighten her and while a few weeks ago she would have definitely felt afraid, but now it only made her burst out in riotous laughter and mock him more. _

"_You're like a pissed little kitten Klaus." She screamed when he flipped them over and over again, rolling over to his side of the bed, intent on showing her just how scary he could be. _

_His attempts to scare her made her laugh so hard that night that the sound of her laughter was forever etched in his mind. And he stored that laughter in his head, not knowing that very soon, he'd be haunted by it every second of every day._

* * *

"I'm coming, I'm coming" Klaus yelled angrily, directing his angered assurances at the person frantically knocking on the door. Striding through the small room to open the door, his face split into a wide, obnoxious cocky grin when he saw a frazzled Katherine standing outside. Not even waiting to greet him she pushed past him and walked into the room, stopping momentarily when she saw Dexter sitting on the table chair.

"Who's he?" she asked, turning around to look back at Klaus.

"Who's she?" Dexter countered, pointing a finger at Katherine and causing Klaus to roll his eyes.

"Katherine, Dexter. Dexter, Katherine." He offered, waving his hand between the two of them before finally settling on Katherine, "I knew you'd come crawling back."

"I haven't..." Katherine began angrily, clenching her jaw and widening her eyes at him before abruptly stopping and lowering her head, as if trying to collect herself. Deciding that someone had to mature in this '_relationship'_ she kept a cool head and deterred herself from telling him off, "Klaus, I'm going to forget about 'this battle of the ego's' and I hope you do too, because I found something and I know it's important."

"What did you find out?" Klaus asked, closing the door and walking further inside, all traces of mirth gone as he recognized the direness in Katherine's tone.

"I spoke to Candis Martin and..."

"How did you find out about her?" Klaus interrupted.

"Who's Candis Martin?" Dexter asked.

"She told me something that she didn't..." Katherine continued on her tangent but both men butt in again.

"_How_ do you know about her?" Klaus demanded.

"_Who_ is Candis Martin?" Dexter asked irately, obviously unhappy at being kept out of the loop.

"Candis is one of Rebekah's internet friends," Klaus answered Dexter, before turning his skeptical eyes on Katherine, "How do you know about her?"

"I went to the bar – _the_ bar. Where Caroline went before she was kidnapped and on a whim I showed Rebekah's picture to the bartender and he told me about Candis picking up Rebekah time to time." Katherine explained, "And I went to talk to her. She told me you and Caroline spoke to her as well."

"We did," Klaus said with a shrug and raised his brows to ask Katherine to continue.

"Well, she lied to you," on seeing his bewildered face Katherine added, "Candis, she lied because she didn't think Caroline needed to hurt anymore. And the FBI had told her that her information was useless and unrelated so she didn't think to..."

"Wait wait _wait_," Klaus said hastily, stopping Katherine before she continued rambling and shared a concerned look with Dexter. "Candis went to the FBI? What... just tell us what you found out Katherine."

Taking a deep breath, Katherine opened her mouth to speak but shut it immediately, turning out to look at Dexter and back at Klaus, causing the former to narrow his eyes at her.

"Whatever I know he'll know soon after," Klaus impatiently waved a hand and shook his head, "Just get on with it Pierce," he added in a bark, purposely using her last name to irk her.

"Fine," Katherine snipped, "Candis told me that Rebekah was meeting a guy at that bar, and it wasn't just once but 3 – 4 times that she picked her up drunk and rambling from there. She said that Rebekah really cared for this guy, and that suddenly one day out of the blue, he told her to stay away from him, that... that he was only going to put her in danger."

"Wait, I know about this," Klaus said when Katherine took a moment to breathe, "Rebekah told Caroline this. She met some guy and then found out he was a jerk or something, she never spoke to him again."

"Rebekah lied, Klaus," Katherine said in a slightly softer tone, "She didn't want Caroline to know, because she knew Caroline would tell her to stop."

"Stop what?" Dexter mirrored Klaus's expression as he moved to stand next to Katherine.

"The guy whom she met, the guy who she fell for and who apparently fell for her too," Katherine supplied, taking a pause to watch their faces before continuing, "Was the same guy who she thought was stalking her."

She could see the wheels turning in Klaus's eyes as he stared off into space and fiddled with his fingers.

"Stalking?" Dexter asked doubtfully, "Someone was stalking..." And from the way his words trailed off and his eyes widened as he looked at Klaus, Katherine could tell that he had made the connection. Apparently Klaus really did tell him everything.

"And then I remembered the file that you and Caroline put together," Katherine continued, knowing that while Klaus still looked catatonic but he was listening to her, "It said all the kidnapped girls thought they were being stalked a few days before they disappeared, but they never did anything about it, just dismissed it later on. This information from Candis..."

"It can't be true," Klaus argued half-heartedly looking from Katherine to Dexter.

"It can and it is, Klaus," Katherine quipped, turning to Dexter she added, "They said that... that from the bruises and manner of handling the girls the killer had to be 40 or near 40 right? They were hundred percent sure?"

"Yes, yes" Dexter nodded, clasping his hands together, "He has to be a fully grown man, we ruled out it being a younger kid. And then plus after we found that grave," Dexter added raising a hand towards Klaus, making Katherine furrow her brows and make a mental note to ask about this grave thing later.

"Yes so that's a fact. But how many 18 year olds can be charmed by a 40 year old man? One, two, maybe three – but _all _of them? Seems unlikely." Katherine demanded and answered her own question, spreading her arms out dramatically and looking around the room.

"It could be possible." Dexter shrugged and watched as Klaus started pacing around the room, obviously still deep in thought.

He had missed it, somehow while questioning Candis he had missed it. And maybe if he hadn't been so distracted by Caroline, he would have figured this out a long time ago. And then maybe, it would never have had to come to this.

"I don't know." Klaus mumbled incoherently, "We never considered this, not even the FBI did."

"That's because there was no evidence to consider this, or we would have." Dexter defended.

"Yes but there is now," Katherine intervened, "And it makes sense. We know the killer is older, stronger and obviously crazy. He does the killing, this younger kid – the boy Rebekah liked, he's the one who stalks and then charms the girls. It's their way to adhere to the pattern Klaus. How weird is it that when every girl is taken she's wearing something red? How difficult is it to know which day she'll do that, they don't wait around for a girl to wear something red – the pattern doesn't just fall in place miraculously."

"He _makes_ it happen" Dexter finished for her, running a hand over his face and looking like a man who had just seen the light, "The younger guy, he _makes_ the pattern happen – tells them or asks them to wear red so that, so that..."

"_It fits_" Klaus concluded somberly, an unexplainable emotion clouding his features, "It fits perfectly."

And somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he could hear Caroline's laughter; haunting him with renewed gusto.

"There's two of them," Katherine whispered, as if afraid to disturb the sudden silence that had pierced the room, "One old, one young. There's two killers... two kidnappers."

She could see the pain and guilt dominated emotions flit through Klaus's face but chose not to comment on it, she had no way to comfort him, she didn't even know if she wanted to comfort him. He had done nothing but make her life miserable, but as much as she may hate him – his dedication to finding Caroline is what had made her give up her strong resolve and come to him.

"You guys know what this means right?" Dexter asked hesitantly, looking from Klaus's blank face to Katherine's curious face. Rolling his eyes when Klaus made no movement and Katherine shook her head, he said "This guy, the younger one you said he cared about Rebekah?"

"Yeah," Katherine said and told him everything Candis had told her about the guy, witnessing the fight and how he didn't just look like a playboy trying to get rid of a clingy girlfriend, "If he was warning her to stay away from him, it means he cared about her too."

"So..."Dexter piped up, raising his brows and reflecting on despite being the biggest pessimist of the lot, he was the only one to see the positive side of this new development.

"So what Dex?" Klaus asked angrily, in no mood for Dexter's riddles.

"So what..." Dexter repeated incredulously, and rolling his eyes again, "That means there is another explanation for why we haven't found Rebekah's body yet." Waiting to watch as the words sunk in, a small smile broke out on his face at seeing a sudden zeal in Klaus's eyes, he concluded, "It means Rebekah could be alive. That he's _keeping_ her alive."

* * *

"Tell me again why we have to use my office?" Katherine whined as she flicked the lights on of her office and craned her neck to make sure that Elijah and Bonnie weren't around. She didn't want them finding out more than they already knew; her career in jeopardy was enough – no need to include them as well.

"Because I got suspended," Dexter complained throwing a mocking glare at Klaus, "And because Klaus can't go anywhere near the building. And because we need to find out who was buried in that coffin."

"And because you are as invested in this as we are." Klaus added with a smirk, obviously over his momentary loss of brain power from earlier.

"I wouldn't say I'm as invested as _you_," she retorted, emphasizing on the 'you', "But yes, I want to find them, _both_."

"And how exactly do you think we're going to find out who was buried in an unmarked grave?" she pointed this question towards Dexter, raising her brows daringly.

"Just get me a computer and I'll do it" He snapped back, obviously not taking her lack of faith in his skills jokingly.

"He will," Klaus assured her as he pulled a chair and motioned for Dexter to sit on it and do 'his thing' with her computer.

"You did the right thing, Pierce," Klaus said as he removed a flask from his jacket and took a long sip from it, "You did the right thing by coming to us and not going to Meredith."

Her brows rose dangerously high at the superiority in his tone and a smile tugged on her lips when she saw Dexter attempt to control his own smile. "You know Klaus, in my experience, gratitude works better than condescension."

"I'm not thanking you," Klaus huffed, saying the word with as much venom as possible and lightly kicked the chair Dexter was sitting on when he burst out into a huge grin at his words, "I'm just saying you were smart."

"_Sure_. Explain this coffin thing to me again?" Katherine asked, ignoring Klaus's inability to say two simple words as she watched Dexter type at frightening speeds.

"We already told you," Klaus sighed, "They guy came there, and now I think it was the younger of the two – because he was..."

"Of smaller built and ridiculously fast." Dexter finished the sentence for him, without looking up from the computer screen.

"Yeah and we figured out that whoever was buried there had some relation to the killer, so we find the person, we find the killer..."

"We find the girls." Katherine mimed, pursing her lips and chewing on her inner cheek, "And you figured this out from dried Lilies?" she couldn't help but keep the awe and admiration out of her tone.

"No," Klaus laughed softly, shaking his head and inclining it towards Dexter, "I was livid and going out of my mind, he figured it out."

"Oh," Katherine commented and lowered her head.

"Meredith was right," Klaus mumbled, his confused words aided with a small dark laugh as Katherine shared a confused look with Dexter, "I'm too emotionally invested in this case, I'm not thinking straight."

And in that moment, as she looked at the first real shade of Klaus she had seen in all these days, Katherine felt like putting her hand on his shoulder and telling him that it was alright, he didn't have to do it alone; that Dexter was here to help, and she would help. That she would do whatever she could to find Rebekah and Caroline.

But before she could frame the words, Dexter banged his fist on the desk and all but yelled, "Found it."

"Who is it?" Klaus and Katherine said at the same time as they moved closer to Dexter.

"Lauren Smith, died in 1982 and born in 1950." And then Dexter stopped speaking as his eyes kept widening to the stage where Klaus was actually fearful that they might pop out.

"What Dexter?" Katherine prodded impatiently.

"You won't believe this," Dexter breathed, barely above a whisper, forcing them to come closer to him. Pointing at the news article on the computer screen, Dexter read it out loud, "_Lauren Smith, aged 32, was held hostage in her secluded house by James Cooper, who is now in custody. Cooper, kept her captive in her own house for three whole days, before strangling her to death in her bathtub and then proceeded to dress her in her red bikini and throw her body in the woods by her house_."

"That's it," Dexter exclaimed, springing off his seat and watching as a small smile formed on Klaus's face, "We got it. James Cooper, he did it before, it's him. It has to be."

"Guys..." Katherine said softly, as she took Dexter's position on the computer and went through the article herself.

"We need to contact the prison and find out when he was released and..."

"Guys..."

"At least we have a name and description now..."

"Guys...!" Katherine bellowed, not caring who else heard her as long as she got Klaus and Dexter's attention, "It's not Cooper."

"Why not?" Klaus challenged, the blood draining from his face when he saw Katherine's expression. He had seen her afraid, he had seen her angry – but _this_, this was something else.

"Because he died in a prison fight 15 years ago." She answered, still not looking at them but staring at the screen, her mouth hanging open, her face paling as she could practically hear her own heartbeat.

"But I know who it is," she said, looking like she was about to cry, "You didn't read the end of the article Dexter."

"What does it say?" he asked as he spared a glance at a stony faced Klaus, he could practically see his heart ramming against his ribs.

Turning her glassy eyes to them, she read the article out loud, "_On August 6__th__, while Lauren Smith was held hostage and killed by James Cooper, authorities said they found her 6 year old son hiding in the closet, and that he had stayed there for the entire three days of Cooper's invasion. Without food and water for three days, the severely weakened boy watched as his mother begged Cooper for mercy, watched him strangle her in the tub and finally watched as his mother's dead body was dressed in a red bikini and thrown into the woods._"

It took a few seconds for everyone to digest this new information before Katherine stood up and said, "It's him. He's replicating what happened that day. The son is the bikini killer"

* * *

If you don't know what to say after yet another weird chapter, just follow my lead –

How dare you not explain the Falcon?

How dare you give us half information?

How dare you make Klaus all sad and angsty?

Just how dare you?

insert name here


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N- I know it's still a much later update than you guys wanted, but then look at the length of this chapter! It just refused to end, I swear. Anyways we find out almost everything there is to be found out this chapter, so please forgive me for the length and please do let me know what you think! REVIEW tc..._

* * *

**Chapter 10**

* * *

She could hear faint voices, very low but they seemed to be getting louder and louder every second. A ripple of fear spread over Caroline as she realized that the voices belonged to her kidnappers and from the sound of it – they were arguing. Instantly she could identify the voice of the younger man, his voice was soft and calming, and right now it sounded scared, worried and downright _pleading_.

"She has to die."

Caroline shivered involuntarily when she heard those words, as clear as day, a small sob stifling in her throat as she pushed the fear away and pressed closer to the bars of her cell, trying to hear more.

"I know she does," this was the voice of the younger man, the one whom she believed no _hoped_, was trying to help her, who had said he would help her, "I know she does but please... don't do this."

"I won't have any more of this, she _will_ die."

"Ok fine." Caroline could hear the defeat in the voice of the younger man, and they seemed to be standing just by the entrance of the cells. And then when she heard the next words out of his mouth, her blood went cold.

"I'll be the one to do it. I'll kill her."

* * *

"For the _third_ time Klaus," Dexter snipped irately, pausing his fingers from typing away at the laptop and clenched his jaw, "_Literally_ breathing down my neck will not make me work any faster." His last few words coming out in a hiss with as much venom as a pissed off cobra as he titled his head to the side, looking at Klaus from the corner of his eyes. Klaus, who was quite _literally_ breathing down Dexter's neck; his face two inches from the other and a characteristic frown on his face as he watched Dexter work, merely turned to look at his friend with a sneer and straightened up, folding his hands over his chest and continuing to sneer in protest.

Katherine watched the interaction wondering whether to laugh or roll her eyes. Deciding on neither, she instead urged Dexter to get back to the matter at hand – finding a name and picture to go with their killer. Something Dexter had been trying to do for the past half hour, which was just too damn slow for Klaus and his impatience.

"None of the newspaper articles have his name?" Katherine asked to confirm once again, and by the disdained look that Dexter gave her it was clear that the blood guy was not pleased by her apparent ignorance on the topic.

"He was a kid, they wouldn't have disclosed his name," Klaus stated, taking to pace behind Dexter as a method to sate his impatience, "Are you looking at police records?" he added, coming to stop right behind Dexter's chair.

"No, It's too old a case. I'm looking in social services and I just found it." Dexter declared, a small smile crossing his face as he pushed the laptop back to let Katherine take a look, while Klaus resumed his previous position of breathing down his neck.

"His name is Mikael Smith," Dexter read, "With a '_k'_. M-i-k-a-e-l."

"Job? Address?" Katherine inquired, looking up at Klaus who was frowning in concentration.

"It's like he disappeared 20 years ago." Dexter said, running a hand through his hair and pulling the laptop back to him.

"Disappeared? Like what _dead_? It can't be –" Klaus began angrily, his eyes blazing as he tried to grab the laptop to read himself.

"No, more like _in hiding_," Katherine interrupted him, raising her voice loud enough to make Klaus hear her. Nodding slightly he moved back and started to pace again.

"He has no paper trail for the last 2 decades, nothing – no license, no gas, electric, credit, bank accounts. Nothing just nothing." Dexter huffed, leaning back in his chair with a defeated sigh.

"What was his last paper trail?" Klaus asked, a permanent crease line appearing on his prominent forehead.

Rubbing his eyes and moving forward in his chair, Dexter read, "He signed a birth certificate. He has a son; 'baby smith', the kid didn't even have a name when he signed it."

"How old is that kid now?" Klaus asked; a sudden skip to his step as he walked to the other side of the table and sat down beside Dexter, his eyes lighting up suddenly.

"20-ish." Dexter answered before adding "Why?"

The way Klaus raised his brows and looked from Katherine to Dexter, as if waiting for them to catch up with whatever he had. When they finally did realize whatever Klaus had; Dexter sighed again and leaned back in his chair while Katherine's mouth fell open in a soft gasp.

"Father and son killing together. That is some fucked up shit." Dexter exclaimed, letting out a small dark laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

"He would be the perfect age to be the second killer," Katherine commented more to herself than the two of them, "And he might share the sentiments of his father – recreating what happened to his grandmother."

"Doesn't make it any less fucked up." Dexter snorted.

No one was disputing _that_.

* * *

"Remind me again while we're just sitting here doing nothing?"

"Because we are waiting."

"Waiting for...?"

"Dexter to find out more about Mikael and find a way to reach him, or the son."

"Right," Katherine mumbled, sighing again and lightly banging her head against the wall behind her.

For the past hour her and Klaus had been quietly sitting on the floor of his motel room; her propped up against the wall on one side and him opposite her. She dwindled with her fingers and tied her hair ten times while Klaus did nothing but stare at his hand, only talking when she let out a frustrated huff and asked him something. His ability to look so unfazed while doing absolutely nothing was quite shocking, she'd thought he would be the kind of person who couldn't sit still for more than ten seconds.

"How are you ok with doing nothing when we just got a huge lead?" she finally asked, pushing herself up with her hands and straightening her back.

Klaus closed his and cursed under his breath, looking up from his hands in his lap to an utterly bored Katherine Pierce, "I've had to do that a lot these past few days. The loss of the badge imposed a lot of restrictions on me, many a times I've simply had to sit like a statue and wait for Dexter to get back to me."

Crinkling her nose in thought, Katherine nodded after a while, following his gaze as he returned to look down at his hand, and that's when she noticed it. He wasn't looking at his hands, he was looking at _something_ in his hands, from her position it looked like a photograph of sorts and she didn't have to ask whose photo it would be.

"Remind me again why you're here?" Klaus asked suddenly, a slow smirk creeping up on his face indicating that the boredom was getting to him and he was going to spend his time mocking her.

"I mean, I can't go to my office – at this point Finn will probably throw me in jail just to keep me away," He added, a tinge of mirth coloring his voice as he ticked off the reasons on his hand, "I can't go to your office because I will be bombarded with questions I have no interest answering. But you, why are you here? Why don't you go back to the station?"

"Because," Katherine began heavily, "I've been coordinating with the captain and Elijah and Bonnie through texts, I don't need to go in."

Klaus full on smirked and raised his brows at her lame reasoning until she let out a moan of frustration and threw her hands in the air, "Ok fine, I don't like lying to their faces. The captain has done a lot for my career, I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for him – and I've already lied to him enough for one lifetime."

"I never pegged you as a person who has any issues with lying," Klaus quipped, his eyes twinkling brightly, he was obviously enjoying himself.

"I don't," Katherine responded, "I however do have an issues lying to save your bony little ass."

He couldn't control the small laugh at her reply and nodding solemnly almost impressed with her quirk, "Anyways," he breathed, "I'm sure you'll clear that right up once I find Caroline."

"I will," Katherine fiercely concurred, "I will tell the truth after _we_ find Caroline."

"_We_?" Klaus snarled, leaning forward menacingly, "I think it's time you go back to your precinct Katherine, send your minions on a goose chase. Let me and Dexter handle finding Caroline and Rebekah."

Katherine eyes turned to slits as she mirrored his actions, leaning forward as her lips curled in anger, "I have risked too much to back out now Mikaelson. I could lose my job, my badge, everything I have worked so hard for – so you better understand that I will not stop now. I deserve to be standing right there with you when we find Caroline. If I'm going to stand to lose so much then I'm damn well going to find that girl."

"You say that like I'm supposed to care about what happens to you," Klaus growled, his own eyes narrowing in contempt.

"A little gratitude would be nice," she hissed bitterly making him laugh and throw his head back, "What?"

"Oh! Pierce, do you know what's going to happen to me after I find Caroline?" Klaus asked after laughing for a full minute, not waiting for her to reply he continued, "I'm going to jail. I've broken more laws than I can count; I'm not an FBI agent right now and I pretended to be a federal officer, forged documents, interfered in a running investigation, oh and let's not forget that time I shot a guy..."

"That one is hard to forget," Katherine chimed in throwing him a dark look.

"And you won't _conveniently_ forget that when you're singing like a canary will you?" Klaus jibed, "And you know what Pierce?"

"What?"

"I don't care," Klaus said, a smile forming on his face that truly scared Katherine, "I don't care that all this is going to happen. If that means Caroline is safe in her house then I don't give a fuck about what happens to me."

"And When I don't even care about what happens to _me_, do you really think I spared a thought to what all _you've_ risked?"

Katherine rolled her eyes and gave him a pointed look, "Shouldn't have expected anything else." She mumbled under her breath making him smile and nod his head.

And just as she was about to ask him something, something that had been gnawing at her since her visit to that highway bar, her phone started to vibrate. Glancing at it wearily, she let out a relived sigh when she saw it was Elijah and not the captain, "Elijah? What is it?"

"Yeah, thank you. We'll be right there."

"What?" Klaus asked, mimicking her actions as she got off the floor and dusted her pants.

"Tech just unscrambled the tape. It shows Caroline being taken."

* * *

"Alright so basically she walks in from this side." Elijah said, pausing the video and tapping his finger on the screen as a figure came into view; clearly a woman, dressed appropriately for a dingy bar, her fumbled walk making it clear that she was either inebriated or finding it quite a task to walk with her heels.

"Do you get a view of her face?" Katherine jumped in, glancing back to look at Klaus propped up in the back of the room, his face covered in darkness and his hands folded over his chest in nonchalance, as if having to watch this video for the 5th time wasn't pure torture to him.

"Yup the Tech people did some weird getting her image from her reflection off of a car window thing... whatever, but here it is," Elijah said sliding a photo towards Katherine. It was too dark in the parking lot to be 100% sure but that face certainly looked like Caroline, her body was clearly visible but only half of her face was seen in the darkness – just up until her eyes but there was hardly any doubt that it was her. And Katherine was sure Klaus would have realized if it wasn't Caroline.

"So she's walking to her car, and you see this is one thing I don't get -..." Elijah abruptly stopped, pausing the video yet again causing Klaus to grumble softly, obviously not noticing his distress Elijah continued, "We know she went to that bar right? Now that bar has a parking lot, and yet she parked here – 20 minutes from the bar. Why do that? Why risk having to walk through the highway in the night?"

Not knowing how to answer that Katherine merely crinkled her brow to make it look like she was thinking, before dramatically shaking her head and saying, "I don't know but we need to think about that, keep playing the video," she added, though her attention was more on the still of Caroline in front of her rather than the video, her mind boggled with about a million thoughts.

"And then she walks up to her car, the minivan is right next to her car, her back to it but obviously she thinks nothing of it," Elijah continues his commentary, turning back for a second to look at Klaus who hadn't shifted from his frigid position, "And this is another thing that's weird," Elijah piped up, deriving Katherine's attention towards the screen, "She's fumbling with her keys and that's when the door to the minivan slid open, I mean how did she not see that happening in the reflection of her car window? Maybe it was too dark." Elijah answered his own question, his eyes scrunching as he turned to watch Katherine watch the video intently.

A lithe, well built man jumped out of the minivan, wearing all black with a black ski-mask on his face as he moved up behind Caroline. And this time she saw him, her keys dropping to the floor as he wrapped a hand around her throat and another over her mouth and dragged her three steps back, throwing her into the van and driving away.

Within two minutes it was all over. From under the cover of her hair Katherine turned her gaze to Klaus, catching his eyes glassing over and his fists banging against the wall behind him. She could see the hurt and anger on his face, but no emotion was stronger than determination – his determination to find her, to not give up.

"No number plate on the van, but I have its make and model out, hopefully we find something from it," Elijah declared.

"That's great," Klaus quipped, speaking for the first time since they had walked into the precinct, "You let us know if you find anything." He added, tilting his head, waving his hand towards the door and giving Katherine a pointed look.

"And where are you going?" Elijah asked, a surprisingly suspicious tone tinting his voice.

"I've made a few useful contacts on the street Elijah," Klaus drawled all but pulling Katherine from her chair as they started to walk out.

She turned to give Elijah a small smile of apology before saying, "Do call us if you find anything."

* * *

"What is this place?" Katherine asked, finally breaking the thick silence that had enveloped them since they had left the precinct. Klaus hadn't said a word, simply waited for her to get in the car and drove off, not giving any explanation for his peculiar behavior or tell her where they were going.

And now as she stood outside a door in an apartment building, watching Klaus take out a key and open the door, she cracked; enough was enough, she had to know.

"This is my apartment," Klaus answered somberly, his voice far too calm and collected for her liking – angry and frustrated Klaus was one she was used to, she knew what to expect, but this – closed off and eerily stoic was something that threw her and she had absolutely no clue what he would do now.

"Why are we here?" she asked, her voice coming out a little too timid than intended.

Klaus swayed on his feet for a second before turning around to face her, making her raise her brows in question. His face confused her even more; she was used to fury, condescension and sarcasm in his face – but this, this she was not use to. He looked... _guilty_. And all these unusual changes in Klaus were making her quite weary.

"In the photo, Caroline's photo," Klaus clarified and Katherine was glad to see that his voice was back to the formal police-cop tone, "She was wearing this blue shirt, and I know that 4 days before she went missing she came to keep that shirt here. I hadn't stayed in my apartment for weeks, I was practically living with her. Now if she wore that shirt the day she was taken then..."

"She came here to get it something," Katherine finished for him and watched as he nodded his head, turning around to look around the apartment, "What do you think you're going to find here?"

"I don't know," Klaus shrugged as he walked into the bedroom and opened the wardrobe, bending down to ruffle through the mess in it, "But she was here maybe a few hours before being kidnapped, so it's worth a shot. Maybe we'll find something, maybe we won't."

"Mmhmm," Katherine mumbled as she sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Klaus stand up to look at the top shelves in his wardrobe. This was the time she decided, her suspicions were almost confirmed by that tape – she had just needed to get Klaus alone where Dexter wouldn't be around to save his friend, she needed to push him far enough so he'd have no choice but to tell her the truth, or admit to it.

"Klaus," she began, clearing her throat when he didn't respond. He made a small guttural noise as a response as he continued searching in the heap of clothes for some miraculous clue or lead, "I've been thinking Klaus."

At this he turned around and raised his brows inquiringly, an almost amused expression flitting over his face, like he was trying very hard not to hit back with some witty, sarcastic comment. Katherine could feel the anger rising from within her at his expression, but suppressed it and continued talking, "What Elijah said was right. Why would Caroline park her car in that parking lot when the bar has one? Why walk all that distance in the night? It makes no sense, and I didn't think anything of it in the beginning."

"And then there are the clothes she was wearing," Katherine said, pausing for a second to remove the still picture of Caroline from her bag, all the while watching Klaus from the corner of her eye; he had gone rigid for a second when she talked about the photo, but then resumed his hunt in his closet, "She looks dressed for a bar like that, all but her top. I mean look at this, she's wearing shorts that could practically pass for underwear, hair all styled, face is all dolled up, red jacket and then this old, tattered, dirty blue shirt. Even in a photo I can tell this shirt is ancient. Why would she wear this? It doesn't make sense."

Katherine waited for a second and watched as Klaus bent down to retrieve a box from deep inside the closet, but his movements stopped when she stopped talking, and despite his adamant stance at not responding she could see the shift in his body language. Taking a deep breath Katherine continued,

"It didn't all click until you told me why we came here. I think that Caroline parked her car in that parking lot purposely, Klaus. I think she did it because she knew there was a camera in the store opposite it, I think she knew that when you found her car you'd notice the camera and get the tape, I think she wanted you to see what happened, and I _think_ she wanted to lead you here, back to your apartment." Katherine whispered, her voice unknowingly dropping a few decibels as if she was afraid of anyone else listening.

Klaus was almost frozen by now, not a single muscle in his body moving as he remained in his position, even as Katherine spoke again, "And I think that's why she wore that blue shirt – because she knew you'd come here when you saw that. And I think you don't want me to see that phone you just slipped into your jacket."

Klaus jerked onto his feet when Katherine made that last statement and moved towards the window, still keeping his back to Katherine as she took a deep breath and began talking again.

"There were something's that I found out at the bar that I didn't tell you about. I couldn't tell if you already knew and were just playing me, or you were as unaware as me. But now I'm leaning more towards the former. You see, Caroline did go to that bar, every single night for two weeks before she was kidnapped, but the bartended told me something that baffled me, something I just couldn't understand... until now. Caroline was brunette, she wore a wig or colored her hair – thankfully its too dark in that video or Elijah would have recognized it too."

Katherine waited for a second, contemplating if Klaus was even listening to her, but from the way his hands gripped the window ledge it was clear he was, and he was not happy with her realization, as if he knew what it lead to.

"And then I showed the barman photos of not just Rebekah but every other girl who had been taken, and you know what he said Klaus, hmm?" Katherine jibed, slowly getting off the bed and taking a small step towards him, her voice laced with so much emotion that it even surprised her, "They all went to that bar, and then I checked the dates. Each of the girls went to that bar days before they were kidnapped. You know what I think Klaus? I think that's the killers joint. I think the younger guy stalks, charms and seduces the victims and then asks them to see him at that bar. Mikael probably lurks in the back determining if the girl fits the pattern and then he kidnaps them. And I think Caroline knew this, I think _you_ knew this. And I couldn't understand why Caroline would wear a brunette wig and visit that bar... until now."

She was standing right behind him by now, half of his face visible and she could clearly see him gulp in nervousness as he stood straight, pushing himself off the window ledge and rubbing his palms together.

"Do you know what I think Klaus?"

He turned to face her then, his eyes glassy and cold as he spoke, his voice hoarse and indicating that he was on the verge of tears, "What do you think Katherine?"

Her brows furrowed as she framed the words in her head, wondering if she really was about to say what she was, if this had actually happened.

"I think Caroline got kidnapped on purpose," she let her words sink in and watched as Klaus closed his eyes in anguish and rested his hip against the window sill, all the energy draining his body and the emotional and physical trauma of the past few days finally showing on his face, "I thinks she fit herself into the killers pattern so he would take her. I think she left you these clues along her way hoping you'd find them. I think she got tired of waiting for the FBI to find the killer and waiting for you to find Rebekah. I think she finally cracked and took things into her own hands."

A deathly silence hung over them as they stood rooted in their positions. It was a startling conclusion, but it seemed the only one that could explain all the weird circumstances of Caroline's kidnapping. As surreal as it was, it was the only thing that made the most sense.

"Please tell me you didn't know?" Katherine pleaded, wanting desperately to know that Klaus hadn't used Caroline as bait, because that would shatter her respect for the man – yes she despised him and everything he stood for, but she had to respect him for his determination.

Klaus whirled on her, the sorrow and guilt disappearing from his face to be replaced with unbridled fury, so much anger that it made her take a step back as he yelled in her face, "Do you _really_ think I would let Caroline get kidnapped if I knew about this? I'm insulted Pierce. There's a lot of bad things I've done, thing I'd still do – but intentionally hurting Caroline is not one of them."

"Sorry, sorry," Katherine muttered realizing her mistake, but she _had_ to ask, she had to see his face when faced with the accusation, it was the only way she'd have peace of mind, "I'm sorry Klaus, but think of this from my point of view. It was a valid question."

Klaus didn't say anything, only huffed angrily and let out a small chuckle as he walked to and fro, hitting his palm with his fist as if to release his pent up emotions.

"When – how did you find out?" she asked a while later unable to take any more of his silence.

He stilled in his incessant pacing and looked at her, his brows crinkling as if he was wondering what and how much to tell her. Finally with a sigh, he began to remove his wallet from his jacket, "Right after they found that Colton girl, two weeks before Caroline went missing – she changed, something snapped in her, she wasn't Caroline anymore. There were times when I barely understood what she was talking about, and she was obsessed with finding clues to get to Rebekah, she was consumed by... wanting to just _know_ if her sister was dead or alive. She just needed to know what happen happened to Rebekah."

Exhaling heavily, Klaus handed a letter to Katherine; a letter written by Caroline to Klaus, "The night she was kidnapped we were supposed to meet for dinner. She was late, two hours late, Caroline is _never_ late – I knew something was wrong. And when I came home I found that letter and I knew what she had done."

Katherine took her time reading the letter, running her fingers over the blotches that marked it, making it clear that Caroline had been crying when she wrote it.

_**I'm so sorry to do this to you. But if I had told you what I was doing, you wouldn't have let me out of your sight. I have to do this. I need to do this. I'm sorry Klaus.**_

_**I love you. **_

_**Yours forever,**_

_**Caroline.**_

"I'm sorry," is all Katherine could say as she looked from Klaus back to the letter in her hands, her mind clouded with too many emotions. She didn't even know Caroline and yet she felt her heart tug reading the letter. It pained her to see the torment Caroline had to go through, worrying over her sister and having to make the tough decision of giving up her life and leaving behind a man she loved just to get some peace of mind.

"Let's see that cell phone," Katherine said suddenly, clearing his throat and blinking away the water in her eyes. This was no time for emotions and crying, they had a cell phone that Caroline had left for Klaus, hopefully containing something useful, "Where did you find it?"

"In the box where she used to keep that blue shirt," Klaus replied, shaking his head and focusing on the task at hand as he pulled out the cell phone and moved to stand next to Katherine so they could both look at it.

"Check the calls," she said and watched as Klaus scrolled through an empty logs and contacts window, he moved onto the messages next without her asking. A small squeal erupted from her throat as she all but grabbed the phone from his hand as he scrolled down the screen, "There's a saved draft; open it," she instructed, "It's addressed to you," she noticed looking at Klaus' number typed in the 'to' section.

"Lulu, Caryn and Brynne – dorm no's and phone numbers," Katherine read the message that presumably Caroline had typed and frowned as she turned to look at Klaus, who bore a similar expression on his face, along with an annoyed one, "What does that mean?"

"No clue," he huffed and closed the window to move on the the menu of the cell phone, opening the images before Katherine could ask like he knew she would.

"Who is that guy?" Katherine asked, looking at the solo picture in the phone – a young guy, with sandy brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, a well defined jaw and a cocky smirk on his face, "Have you ever seen him before?"

"No," Klaus shook his head only to jump away from Katherine when she let out a shriek.

"I know that man," she said hurriedly.

"Who the kid?" Klaus pointed at the young man in the photo.

Katherine shook her head and tapped her finger on the man half visible behind the young boy, "The guy in the back, he's the bartender at that bar. I just spoke to him – and this, _this_ was taken at the bar," she added excitedly, "Caroline took this photo at the bar, Klaus this means..." she trailed off aimlessly, realizing there was no need to voice her realizations, from the way Klaus's eye lit up, it was clear he had come to the same conclusion.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he typed away at the phone furiously.

"Getting the photo to Dexter," he replied distractedly, "He'll try to get a name and address."

"But shouldn't we send it to the FBI? Get the posters out? I mean this is the guy Klaus..."

"No we can't do that," Klaus snarled, "If they know we identified them they might get scared and... _no_, we find his name and deal with it ourselves."

Katherine nodded still unsure but knowing that there was a chance, albeit small, that if the men realized they had been caught they might get scared, kill the girls they had and try to run away. And Klaus wasn't having any of that.

"But this is extraordinary..." Katherine exclaimed, a small laugh aiding her statement, "I mean I don't mean to rub it in, but Caroline did good. She gave us the face of the younger kidnapper."

"I know," Klaus lamented, a sad yet proud edge to his voice, as if he was proud of Caroline for her tact but sad that she had to do it in the first place, "And we're that much closer to finding her."

* * *

"So what am I supposed to do with this then? Dexter asked across the phone making Klaus roll his eyes and grumble under his breath.

"Just run him through every database we have, Dex. Just get me a name and hopefully a way to find him."

"Alright," Dexter sighed and Klaus could hear the shuffling around of papers and the sound of Dexter's laptop being switched on, "Where did you get his photo though?"

Klaus startled for a second, his eyes drifting over to Katherine who had resumed her position on the edge of the bed. Her eyes narrowed in doubt when she saw him look at her, hurriedly he shook his head and replied, "They unscrambled the tape from the market."

"And? It had Caroline in it?"

"Yeah, it uhm... showed her being kidnapped," Klaus lamented trying to keep his voice as calm as possible but was certain Dexter would have picked up on the emotions, "She left me a message in it, bought me to my old apartment. She left me this phone, she'd taken a snap of the guy in it."

"Damn that Caroline," Dexter exclaimed in a huff and Klaus couldn't help but agree, "Wait, where is Katherine?"

"She's right in front of me," Klaus said skeptically, extending his hand in a reflex.

"You told her?" Dexter's voice carried in a slow disbelieving whisper.

"No," Klaus stated, moving one step back as Katherine stomped towards him, frustration clouding her features as she demanded he put the phone on speaker, "She figured it out."

"Hmmm," Dexter observed, the surprise evident in his voice, "She's not as dumb as I thought."

"Don't let her hear you say that," Klaus couldn't help but chide back and almost lost his footing as Katherine all but grabbed the phone from him, "Mother of God!... _fine_," he relented, shaking his head and turning the phone on speaker.

"Ok well he's not on the sex offenders list," Dexter declared before Katherine could yell at him.

"Why they hell did you check the sex offenders list first, Dexter?" Klaus asked incredulously, as if questioning his friend's sanity.

"The guy, along with his father, kidnaps and kills women while recreating the death of his grandmother – there is no way in hell he is _not_ a pervert."

Before Klaus could rebuke his theory, Katherine jumped in authoritatively, "Check the juvenile records."

After a few minutes Dexter let out a whelp of triumph making both Katherine and Klaus look at the phone lying on the bed in anticipation, waiting for Dexter to speak.

"Ok his name is – Kol Smith. He was arrested at the age of 15 for trying to shoplift in a sex shop. _Ah ha_! I told you he was a pervert. Released in 6 months. No address, no job, only thing he has is... wait..."

Klaus and Katherine shared a look as Dexter suddenly went silent and all they could hear was shuffling of paper.

"Wait wait wait..."

"Goddamit what Dexter!" Katherine half yelled startling Klaus, who had an almost impressed look on his face.

"I think I know where Mikael keeps the girls..." Dexter said lamely, as if talking more to himself than them.

"Wh-what? Where?" Klaus sputtered, anger and fear slowly rising within him.

"Kol has a property on his name, the only thing he has – and it says it was given to him by his father. Now these two, they're recreating the murder of their mother/grandmother right?" Dexter asked, and from his pause it was obvious he wanted an answer.

"Yeah," Katherine began, "All the girls – other than Caroline look similar to Lauren Smith, they're killed the same way, dressed in their bikini's like her, and put in her coffin before they are killed."

"So then why not also kill them in the place Lauren Smith was killed?" Dexter said.

"What?"

"There are no records of that house being sold, and what if it was given to Mikael and he gave it to Kol. It would fit their pattern, hold and kill the girls where Laura was killed."

"Where is the house? We need to check it out." Klaus said, a sudden skip in his step and hope in his voice. Katherine nodded next to him, her hands wringing together in anxiousness.

"I texted it to you," Dexter said, "And Klaus this house is deep in the woods, so far in you'd probably never know if a small bomb went off in there. And guess what? It's only 20 minutes from that graveyard we went to."

"Where Laura Smith was buried?" Katherine asked, her eyes wide and amazed.

Klaus only nodded as he disconnected the call and began to lead Katherine out.

This could be it, he could feel it. He could feel the hope set into his bones and prayed that it didn't disappoint.

* * *

"What do you mean there's nothing there?" Dexter inquired, sighing and shaking his head at yet another failed attempt.

"I mean there is _nothing here_," Katherine spit back, angry, tired and frustrated at the turn of events, one eye on Klaus' frozen back as he looked off into the woods, she returned to snapping at Dexter, "No house, no Mikael, No Kol, no Caroline. There's nothing here, _literally_ – it's just grass and dirt."

"I can't believe it," Dexter replied and despite her anger Katherine could hear the sadness in his tone, "I was so sure they would be there."

"Yeah I know Dexter," Katherine added in a softer tone, knowing how the man felt. She had felt that too, but it had all gone to waste and right now, she was worried about Klaus. He'd been so full of hope that she could practically see it radiating off of him, and now he stood 5 feet away from her, his back to her and standing over the place where the house should have been, looking down at the ground as if willing it to burst open and give Caroline back to him.

"Klaus," she said so softly she was surprised it was her voice, "We should go back, there's nothing here – we'll come back when it's light to see if we can find anything, but... but it's a dead end Klaus, we should go back."

Her pleas were met with stoic silence as Klaus bent down, lightly running his hand over the slightly damp earth, picking up a twig from the floor and cracking it in his fingers. She moved towards him slowly, standing ahead of him and felt a wave of pity wash over her when she saw his face. He looked so small and defeated that she couldn't help but want to comfort him, but not knowing how to do so she called out his name again.

Klaus nodded as he looked up at Katherine, getting to his feet and turning away from her, looking into the darkness of the woods as he felt a similar darkness grip his heart. He had been so sure, so certain – that this was it; that _this_ was where he would find his Caroline, where he'd finally be at peace again. But like every other time, it had led to nothing, only more clues and heartache.

"Klaus"

He didn't respond to her call, still buried deep in his self-pity and sorrow, so much so that he didn't recognize the shift in her voice.

"Klaus..." but this time he did, he could hear the sudden fear and lowering of her voice as he turned around to look at her.

Katherine looked pale, white as sheet as the phone trembled in her hand, "Dexter said... Dexter said that they found another girl in the woods."

All the blood drained from his body as Klaus somehow managed to ask, "Who is it?"

"You don't want to know."

* * *

In case you don't know what to say to that long and confusing chapter, just follow my lead –

Dear Tanya,

How dare you end on cliffhangers like they're your birthright?

How dare you lead us to another dead end?

How dare you not reveal who the girl is?

Just how dare you?


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N- Hey guys! So sorry for the wait, but I won't list my excuses, you don't want to hear them lol. You do however want to hear, that this is a very long chapter, 7k+ and this little story is wrapping up! Just 2 more chapters to go! I hope you like and let me know what you think!_

* * *

**Chapter 11.**

* * *

_The first thing he heard was the running water. The typical pitter-patter of water against a body was the only noise in the otherwise quiet apartment, telling him that Caroline was still in the shower. And it alarmed him; she had gone for a bath when he had left, _two hours ago_. Instantly, he put down the bag of take-out and rushed over to the bathroom, a sense of dread filling him up. _

_He could still see the image etched in his mind, even though he had only been 7 years old. The stench, the blood, the sight was one he would never forget. And a similar fear gripped him as he opened the bathroom door, almost expecting to be greeted with a similar picture as his 7 year old self had. Thankfully, it wasn't. _

_Unlike his foster mother, Caroline sat shivering under the steady stream of water, injury and blood free, completely _alive_. After he let out a sigh of relief, his attention went to Caroline. She looked timid, her eyes glazed over, her knees pulled up to her chest, hands wrapped around her legs, back against the bathroom wall and heat tilted to the right, as if to avoid the water. Extending his hand to catch it under the shower head, Klaus let out a small expletive under his breath, immediately turning off the tap and stepping across her to gather the fluffy blue Turkish towel in his hands. All the while Caroline sat in the same place, as if unaware of his presence, until he bent down by her and started to speak. _

"_What the hell is wrong with you Caroline?" he sneered, "The water is freezing, you could get sick. Have you been here for two hours?" he added in disbelief, trying in vain to catch her eyes, but they were wandering off at nothing in particular. _

"_Klaus," she mumbled slowly, still not looking at him._

"_What?" he spit back, a little more angrily than he wanted to but she had scared him. She had been scaring him for the entire week, ever since they had found the Colton girl's body. She hadn't been herself, and it had gotten to the point where he wondered if she had finally lost it. _

"_I have to ask you something," she said, placing her cold, wet hands on the collar of his shirt, tugging at it lightly and trying to focus her eyes on him. _

"_You can," he said gruffly, "When you're dry and warm."_

_But she ignored him, tugging on his collar harder and pulling him to her, and any other day, the sight of a naked and wet Caroline would have done different things to him. But right now it made him feel slightly annoyed and utterly helpless. She tried to fidget with his shirt, attempting to shrug him off as he wrapped the towel around her arms and started to rub her arms. _

"_What would you do if I just disappeared one day?" _

"_What?" his hands slipped off her shoulders when he heard her speak, his eyes widening exponentially, he leaned away from her, as if afraid to get closer._

"_What if, one day you woke up, and I was just... _gone_?" she continued, a crazed look in her eyes that made him gulp nervously, "I wasn't there, I was nowhere, and no matter what you did, no matter how hard you tried..." she trailed off, her eyes flickering wildly before her face drooped and her brows furrowed, "You couldn't find me. I was lost to you."_

_He remained still, like a block of stone. Not a muscle in his body twitched as he watched her with wide, enraged eyes and flaring nostrils, his hands turning to fists as they rested on his legs. She still held onto him, as if asking, begging him to hold her, but he was paralyzed. The look on her face, the anguish in her eyes and the impact of her words rooted him to the spot._

"_What would you do, Klaus?" she whispered, finally focusing on his eyes, not letting his waver from hers, "I would like to think th-that it would matter to you, if I went missing. That you would care," suddenly she looked frail as her eyes lowered and her voice softened, a tint of insecurity filtering through, "I mean I'd like to assume you care about me... but." _

"_What is the point of this?" he breathed, his voice low and sharp, so different than the way he normally spoke to her. But she didn't seem to register that as she continued speaking. _

"_It would hurt you. It would take over your mind, it would be there at the back of your thoughts, no matter what you were doing, yo-you would never forget. You'd never be able to forget that I wasn't here... that that..." she truly scared him now, her forefinger and middle finger pointed at her temple as she tapped it violently and spoke again, "I'd drive you crazy Klaus." she concluded and nodded when he did nothing but stare at her. _

"_It would drive you insane, and one day would come when... when," she mused, moving closer to him, smoothing her hand over his shirt, "One day would come when you'd just want to know. That's all. You'd just want to know, just _know_ what happened to me. If I was dead or alive, what happened to me?"_

"_What the hell are you doing Caroline?" he hissed. His blood ran cold in his veins, feeling like poison as he knelt staring at her nonplussed. _

"_I just want to _know,_ Klaus," she cried, shaking her head and letting the tears flow freely, the glazy washed up look disappearing from her eyes as she started shaking like a leaf, "I just want to know if she's dead or alive. I can't not know anymore. I need it." she added definitively, as if the mere notion of her needing it would make it happen. _

_He could see she needed comfort, and any other day, any other situation, he would have wrapped his arms around her and rocked her till she stopped crying, just like he always did. But not today. He could barely get himself to look at her, comforting her was out of the question. She had scared him, terrified him. The desperate maddened look in her eyes, the torturous venom in her voice, the things she had said, the images she'd put in his head and the emotions she'd put in his heart were things he never wanted to feel. _

_Detangling her grip on his shoulders, he held her wrists in his hand, harder than he ever would. His lips curled into a snarl as he said, "Don't ever say anything like that to me again. Do you understand me? Never again." Throwing her hands forcefully and closing his eyes when she whimpered softly and started crying again, he stomped out of the bathroom, only to hear her yelling one thing after him. _

"_I just want to know Klaus."_

* * *

His brain was fuzzed, a cloud of haziness taking permanent residence in his head as he meekly made his way through the hospital corridor, Katherine wearily walking beside him. Her head was bowed and her brows were scrunched up, if he was capable of any emotion other than despair right now, then he'd see that she looked almost as sad as he did.

But he had a new found understanding of Caroline in that moment, walking down the monogamously blue corridor of the hospital. Dread was the primary emotion he felt at what lay ahead of him now. Then, surprisingly, and slightly alarmingly, there was also – relief. A strong, resilient wave of relief broke over him, and that one string of relief, that silver lining was the only thing keeping him upright right now.

Now he understood Caroline's words, her unexplainable need, her behavior that terrified him. Now it all made sense. The hope was slowly drifting away, and now, all he needed was knowledge. _He just needed to know_. And now he did, hence the relief. Admittedly, he reached his breaking point much earlier than Caroline had; Rebekah had been missing for much longer than Caroline. But then again, Caroline had always been stronger than him.

Which is why, when Dexter saw him, he was surprised. Klaus didn't look angry, murderous or depressed. He looked tired, exhausted, but there was a tinge of peace in his eyes.

As soon as Dexter reached them, he turned to Klaus, his face somber and tried to say something, but Klaus stopped him. Knowing that his only friend would expect him to fall off the wagon and lash out in true Klaus style, he placed a hand on Dexter's shoulder and said, "I'm fine. Well as fine as I can be. It's sad and horrible, but... but when we find her," he added with renewed resilience, straightening his back and looked dead at Dexter, "When we find Caroline, at least she'll know. She'll know for sure what happened-..."

"No, you don't understand," Dexter yelped, shrugging Klaus' hand of his shoulder, "You didn't let me finish," he turned to glare at Katherine who narrowed her eyes at the anger in his tone, watching curiously as he turned back to look at Klaus, "And you didn't pick up my call later."

"Dexter, what?" Klaus asked hesitantly.

Taking a deep breath and looking from the frazzled brunette to an alarmingly calm Klaus, Dexter said, "I never said they found a body. I said they found a _girl_. They found Rebekah, and she's not dead. Rebekah's alive."

* * *

"I don't understand," Klaus mumbled under his breath, pacing in the tiny supply closet as Katherine looked on in equal confusion while Dexter looked almost bored. "She's alive? You're certain of this?" he added, turning to bring his attention to Dexter, who sighed and nodded solemnly.

"Yes, I saw her. She's scared, and confused, but looks unhurt. The doctors say she refuses to speak, trauma they say," Dexter lamented, "Meredith is trying to talk to her, but she won't respond. Keeps staring at the wall, it's like she's catatonic. But Finn said he's bringing some psychologist or whatever."

"Basic point is, she's alive." Katherine commented and even garnered a curt nod from Klaus, who didn't seem too keen on halting his pacing until the floor started thinning under the prolonged duress.

"Yes, but _how_?" Klaus pressed, clasping his hands as if in prayer and bringing them up to rest on his mouth, obviously in deep through, and distress, "Everything was jset out just like a kill... wasn't it?"

His question was directed to Dexter, who instantly perked up and nodded again, "Yes. She was dressed in her bikini, light bruising on her back, which means she was put in the coffin. And standard strangulation marks on her neck. But they were light, very light."

"Light?" Katherine questioned; quirking a brow as even Klaus stopped to hear Dexter's response.

"I saw the pictures, they weren't as dark, as prominent as the marks on the other girls," Dexter explained, unconsciously wringing his hands and leaning against the wall, "It was sloppy, the kill. The technique was different; he didn't put as much force as he usually does. It's an immature attempt, it's hard to explain, but it's different, hence why she didn't die. It's like, like..."

"It was his first attempt?" Klaus supplied cautiously when Dexter trailed off unsurely. It took a second for the notion to set in, before Dexter slowly nodded and Katherine looked deep in thought or thoroughly baffled, he wasn't sure which.

"So the old man is teaching his son the tools of the trade," Klaus jibed, "That's just perfect. Now he can charm _and_ kill."

"Yes, but he _didn't_ kill her," Katherine remarked, earning a withering glare from Klaus "Think about it Klaus, Rebekah isn't dead. He didn't strangle her, Kol didn't kill her."

"Yes well that just proves he's also dumb," Klaus spat, "That girl was half dead already, it's not that difficult to finish the job. She was starved and deprived of.."

"She wasn't starved," Dexter suddenly piped up.

"What?"

"Rebekah," he mused, "I saw her. She looks hollow, scared and traumatized, but definitely not starved. She's been eating well."

Klaus was considering this strange information when Katherine let out a noise he could only call a squeak. Like a scared little rat, a small squeak of surprise flew out of her mouth as her eyes widened rapidly, a total look of sudden realization gracing her face.

"What?" Klaus demanded when she took his place in pacing incessantly.

"He didn't kill her," she said softly, almost as if to herself, her voice low and calculating, "Kol didn't kill her, strangled or hurt her just a little, enough to maybe make her lose consciousness but not die?" her tone made it clear she was voicing out the theories coming to her, not knowing herself if they were plausible or simply preposterous.

"What are you thinking?" Dexter asked, his narrowing in suspicion.

"He didn't kill her!" Katherine exclaimed, and before Klaus could shout at her for repeating the same sentence for the umpteenth time. "And she's not weak like the other girls, she wasn't deprived of food. So maybe I'm crazy or maybe, just _maybe_, he didn't mess up the kill, but this is exactly what he wanted."

Klaus spluttered for a full minute, looking at the brunette like she had lost her mind. "What? He wanted to _not_ kill her?" he almost screamed, slightly alarmed at the glazed over look on Dexter's face, as if he too was considering Katherine's crazy theory.

"No!" Katherine rolled her eyes, and Klaus could see the tell tale signs of a foot stomp in the near future, "He wanted to _save_ her. To help her."

Klaus laughed, actually laughed, teeth and all, almost buckling over until he caught the look on Dexter's face. "You don't actually believe it?" he asked his old friend incredulously, unable to grasp the concept of someone as fucked up as Kol saving Rebekah instead of killing her as he had always intended.

"Nothing else explains it," Dexter argued back, shrugging nonchalantly, "The kill was downright sloppy, like there was no intention to kill. And after three months of being terrified and starved, she should not look the way she does. We know he cared about her, it's possible that he... helped her." he concluded with another committal shrug.

"Stranger things have happened," Katherine pressed, raising her brows as if challenging him to rebuke her. Which he didn't, only gritted his teeth and shook his head furiously, turning their conversation to a more useful track.

"It doesn't matter whether it was a mistake or planned. The point is she is alive. And I'm going to talk to her."

Before he could two steps towards the door, both Katherine and Dexter yelped out loudly.

"Do you want to end up in jail? Finn isn't going to greet you with a handshake and ask you over for a beer. He's going to throw your ass in detention." Dexter sneered, almost rolling his eyes at Klaus' impulsiveness.

"She doesn't talk to anyone, Klaus," Katherine tried to reason.

"I am not anyone, I am- was... Whatever," Klaus said forcefully, "I know Caroline. Rebekah is the only lead we have right now; I am not _not_ talking to her."

"Rebekah doesn't know that. You met Caroline after she was kidnapped; as far as Rebekah is concerned you are just a stranger. She's traumatized and scared, she doesn't need you harping on her," Katherine said wisely, folding her arms over her chest and tapping her foot.

Klaus looked from one to the other, stumped at being ambushed and rationalized with by both. Ultimately he ended up the one stamping his foot in anger, almost upturning one of the tables, "I can't just sit here and do NOTHING!" he seethed, an angry blush creeping up his neck as he resumed his pacing and punched his fist into his other palm.

"Who's asking you to do nothing?" Katherine chided, tapping her foot persistently and rolling her eyes as she pulled out a cell phone from her jacket. "The names that Caroline listed in this phone," she said, switching it on and taking a few steps towards him, "They have to mean something."

"I don't care about some teens," Klaus mumbled angrily, "I'm going to talk to Rebekah, she was where Caroline is. She knows where the place it, I just need to get her to talk." He added briskly, before turning around to walk out the door when Dexter blocked his path.

Putting one hand on his shoulder, a clear sign of how serious he was, Dexter said, "Nik, she doesn't know you. You going in there like a bull and yelling at her will not get us anywhere. And don't try to deny it, I know your interrogating methods," he added when Klaus opened his mouth to argue, even Katherine mumbled something about guns and shooting in the background.

"I know you want to get to Caroline, but blowing past Rebekah is not the way. The girl has been through enough, just give her some time. It's what Caroline would want you to do." Dexter added cheekily and Klaus could almost see the triumphant smirk form on his friends face.

Damn him for bring Caroline into this!

"Ok, these names have to be important," Katherine said, quickly taking control once she realized Klaus wasn't about to go bulldoze through Rebekah's room. "You two go back to the motel and try to find out who these girls are. I'm going to go talk to Meredith."

"Meredith?" Klaus asked bewildered, "What could you possibly talk to Meredith about?"

"Look," Katherine began exasperatedly, "She likes me, we get along. We both share a mutual annoyance of all things Klaus Mikaelson. Maybe I can get her to tell me if Rebekah's said anything, get some information about what happened to her, without having to put Rebekah through... well, _you_." she concluded pointing a finger at Klaus, not one bit affected when Klaus growled and fake smiled at her.

"Fine," Dexter said, pulling Klaus out the door with him, "Talk to Meredith and we'll find out who these girls are."

* * *

Food came early today. And in much more quantity than ever before. Caroline noted the discrepancy almost instantly, as she crawled from her corner to the edge of her cell, grabbing the plate in her hand and quickly shuffling back to her corner. She got a dry, yet fresh piece of meat today, instead of stale bread and water. And it was when the man sat down outside the cell, his back resting against the strong iron bars that she realized it wasn't the older man. Kol had bought lunch today, hence it being edible.

Gaining confidence at the fact that it wasn't his deranged accomplice, she inched closer to him, using her hands and hips to move.

"I have some water," he said emotionlessly, placing a water bottle through the bars and she controlled the urge to lunge at it and hold it to her chest like a prized possession. It was clean water, and from the frosting on the outside, cold water, a luxury she hadn't had in days. Trying to remain calm, he may not be vicious like the other one, but he still scared her, she picked up the bottle and mumbled a 'thank you' as best as she could, her mouth working hard at chewing the rubbery chicken.

These people could not cook to save their life.

"Can I ask you a question?" Caroline said, clearing her throat and peeking up at him from under her lashes. When his head slightly turned to her side, and he curtly nodded, she continued, "Will you tell me what happened to Rebekah? I know you knew her, I know she was here. This is hers," she moved right to the edge of her cell, leaning against the bars the same way he was, only on the inside. His face turned to look at her outstretched hand, where he saw the falcon resting, and slowly turned his gaze onto her pleading eyes.

"The beak is chipped. Rebekah fell from a tree when she was 12, that's when the beak was chipped," she continued, a small reminiscent smile forming on her face, "I know this is Rebekah's. I just want to know what happened to her. Is she dead?"

Kol gulped, looking into the blonde's determinedly strong eyes, even though she was trembling in anticipation on the inside. Deciding to put her out of her misery, he cleared his throat and shook his head, "She's not dead. She's fine."

Caroline closed her eyes, a surge of hope flowing over her. But, almost as if she flipped a switch, her face lost all traces of that momentary joy, only to be replaced with frightening determination, as she scooted closer to Kol. Boldly reaching out a hand to place on his shoulder, causing him to jerk involuntarily but not turn on her, she said, "Ok, ok that's good. Thank you very much. Now, do you remember what you said? You said you were going to get me out," she said, the authoritative tone of her voice seeming a little pleading at the end, "I need you to help her instead. Forget about me, leave me here. Get her out, help her, please. I beg of you, please..."

"Stop, _stop_," Kol barked, turning around completely, shrugged her hand off his shoulder and taking her hand in his, shaking his head thoroughly when she opened her mouth to plead more, "I said she was fine. I already got her out. She's in a hospital right now, probably surrounded by 50 FBI officers. Rebekah is safe."

He never thought he'd see anyone cry tears of joy in this hellhole, but right now, looking at the sheer elation on Caroline face as she softly cried could only be described as happy tears. She didn't care where she was, what was going to happen to her, if she ever got out or not, _knowing_ that her sister was fine was more than enough.

"Thank you," she cried, a small laugh escaping her sore throat, "Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me yet," he spat darkly.

"What? Why?" she squeaked, a tint of fear clouding her otherwise elated face.

When he turned to look at her, she couldn't help but pity him. For a man so young, he looked exhausted, thoroughly and completely worn out. The sadness in his eyes made her shiver involuntarily, as he lowered his eyes from her, almost in shame as he spoke again, "Mikael is out, and he'll see the news. They're probably talking about Rebekah being alive everywhere. And if he watches the news, he-he'll know what I did. And he will know who you are."

She couldn't help it, she gasped, her chest constricting painfully as she placed a hand on her mouth, fear spreading through her veins like venom. Hearing about Rebekah hadn't just bought her relief, but it had also bought her a new zeal for life. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to wither away in this hole.

She wanted to hug her little sister. She wanted to kiss Klaus.

And now, that dream seemed, exactly that – a _dream_.

"I'm sorry," Kol sighed, his head hanging low, and she wondered why he felt any shame at not being able to save her, "I could only get one of you out without letting him know what I was doing. I-I wanted to help you, but I couldn't let her... I'm sorry." He concluded lamely, and she understood, crying softly and nodding her head. She was happy that he cared enough about Rebekah to save her, even if it was over her, and sad that it probably meant her end. He had a choice, save her or Rebekah, knowing that whoever he picked first would have the maximum chances at surviving, and a part of her was glad he picked Rebekah, and a part was too paralyzed by her own impending fate to be completely happy.

"But I'm not done yet," Kol added, a sudden enthusiasm to his voice as he leapt to his feet and looked down at her. And from the maddening look in his eyes she could finally recognize his undeniable need to help her. It wasn't for her, it was for Rebekah. Just like with her and Klaus, Klaus had had no afflictions towards Rebekah, his obsession to find Rebekah was because _she_ wanted to find Rebekah. Klaus did it for her, like now; Kol was doing it for Rebekah.

"I'm going to try to get you out," he declared and she slowly nodded her head, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "Mikael can't kill you, _literally_," he waved a hand at her blonde hair, "He won't be able to. Just don't anger him, and I'll try to think of something."

"Wait!" she bellowed when he started to walk away, "Let me help you."

Sighing and shaking his head, Kol said, "You can't help me Caroline."

"I know," she insisted, shaking her head profusely, causing the dirty blonde curls to bounce over her face. Facing him with a determined twinkle in her eyes, she stated, "But I know someone who can."

* * *

"How in hell did you two do anything before me?" Katherine inquired, her new found likeness for tapping her foot displayed once again, as she stood in the middle of Klaus' motel room; hands folded over her chest, a superior and slightly annoyed look on her face as she tapped her foot incessantly.

If she kept that up he was going to chop her leg off and stuff it down her throat. But looking at the way Dexter sneered and pointedly looked at her drumming foot, it seemed his friend was going to give her an amputation much before him.

"Will you stop with the foot tapping," Dexter commented angrily, causing Katherine to narrow her eyes at him and tap her foot loudly just to see him throw his hands up in the air and walk into the room.

"We needed to clear our minds," Klaus mused as he stepped into the room from the small balcony, "Helps us think better."

"And you needed your friends _Johnny_ and _Walker_ for that?" Katherine snorted, raising a brow questioningly. Like a child intent on defying the very thing his mother prohibited, Klaus bought the bottle to his lips and downed the depleting contents in one go.

"We found out who the girls are," Dexter intervened before the other two could start arguing over nothing in particular once again.

"Yes _very_ interesting find it was," Klaus mocked, narrowing his eyes playfully and rubbing his hands in false glee, "All three are riveting and inspiring teens with 9000 social media profiles. They spend their precious brain cells on world changing topics such as 'He likes me but I think he's gay', "Yellow does not suit her', "Oh my god did you hear about blah blah and blah blah, and my personal favorite "Can I get pregnant from this?'"

Katherine blinked stupidly, flitting between him and Dexter, wondering just how drunk they were before plopping onto Dexter's abandoned chair and looking through the open web pages.

"Well to be nicer than 'everything anti-teen' here," Dexter began sparing Klaus a withering glance, "He is right. They are normal 19 year old college girls."

"Otherwise known as – _annoying_," Klaus added, landing on the edge of his bed with a plop and ignoring the glare Katherine sent his way.

If only he could find a way to get away from her and Dexter, he knew he could get Rebekah to talk. He knew enough about her through Caroline. And Rebekah was their best lead at the moment, not three teens.

"Did you hack their Facebook's?" Katherine asked incredulously, scrolling down the photos in mild interest and surprise.

"Who needs to hack when they make everything public," Klaus chided, shrugging his shoulders and continuing to sulk.

Even Katherine couldn't control a judgmental look as she raised her brows and browsing through the information.

"There has to some reason Caroline wrote their names down, why would she make the effort?" Katherine mumbled more to herself than anyone else.

"Well this is useless," Klaus grumbled, getting to his feet and started wearing his jacket, "I'm going to the hospital, this is getting us nowhere." And for once even Dexter seemed to agree with him as he grimaced and nodded his hands.

"No, wait," Katherine shrieked, her attentions solely on the laptop screen, "Did you go through all the photos?"

"No." Klaus puffed, "My brain short circuited after the sixth consecutive peace sign photo."

Rolling her eyes and turning the laptop so he and Dexter could look, Katherine got to her feet and started digging for something from her bag as she spoke, "Look at their photos. Look at their faces."

"What am I looking at?" Dexter asked nonplussed, his forehead crinkling in confusion furthermore when he noticed the sudden intensity in Klaus' gaze.

"Brown hair, light eyes, fair skin, same built and shape. They all look similar," Katherine said, "Lulu, Brynne and Caryn," she added, tapping the faces with each name, "They look like each other. And now look at her." she concluded, slapping a photo on the table.

"They look like Lauren," Klaus whispered, without even looking at the photo Katherine had dug out, closing his eyes and slamming a fist on his forehead, he added in an angry yell, "Fucking bleeding heart!"

"These are potential victims," Dexter breathed, suddenly not as swayed as he was before, "That's why Caroline wrote down their names. She must have seen Kol talk to them or look at them or something..."

"So she tried to warn you, to save them" Katherine finished, giving Klaus a pointed look that screamed obnoxiousness.

"Helping others while on her way to get kidnapped," Klaus jibed venomously, "Sounds like Caroline." There was no admiration in his voice, he'd rather she save herself than think of others first, but he knew that just wasn't Caroline.

"He just lost Rebekah, he's going to be on the hunt," Dexter said, a sense of urgency in his voice, "And on top of that she isn't dead, he always takes a girl immediately after a kill. He's going to be even more anxious now."

"We need to go talk to them, but how will we know who he's going after next?" Katherine asked perplexed as she turned the laptop to her once again.

"They will feel like they're being stalked," Klaus answered instantly, composing his emotions and focusing on the task at hand, he could see a shining opportunity in this situation that the others hadn't yet noticed, "Kol must have already gotten to them, ask the right questions, we'll know who the next girl is."

"Ok well, we'll talk to all, but I think I know who it is," Katherine informed, fidgeting with the laptop before turning it towards them once again, "Caryn Martin, she posted this photo 3 days back, look at that bar, the photos behind it..."

"It's the highway bar, she's been there. Which means she could be next." Klaus said hastily, and was about to say something else when Dexter's phone started to ring.

"It's Finn. No one say a word." He huffed as he answered the call, "Hello Finn. No I'm good, just at home with Rita and the... what? I don't know what you mean. I haven't spoken to him...no I think you're…Ok sure," Dexter sighed heavily, "I'll give it to him."

Handing the phone over to Klaus, he mouthed, "Finn wants to talk."

Grumbling heavily and swiveling his shoulders, Klaus took the phone from him and put on his most unconcerned voice, "Hello Finn, do what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I need you to come down to the hospital right away."

"Hospital? Why would I come to the hospital? Did you get in-"

"Cut the bullshit Nik, I know you know about Rebekah. Now get down here, its important."

"I think I'll avoid detention as long as I can mate," Klaus seethed, motioning at Katherine and Dexter to pack up so they could get a move on.

"I'm not arresting you. I want your help. You-you were right. It's important, just trust me. It's about Caroline."

Sighing and cursing the one word that caused him to ignore him for all sense and sensibility, Klaus mumbled, "I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"What?" Katherine asked, his nose crinkled in confusion.

"Finn wants to talk, says its about _Caroline_." Klaus spat, hissing out her name.

"Fine," Katherine lamented, "You go talk to Finn and me and Dexter will talk to these girls."

"No, I think I should go with him incase his inner hulk comes out. You talk to the girls, I'm not very apt at interrogation, I am apt at handling him." Dexter pointed out ignoring Klaus' indignant reprimand, and Katherine begrudgingly agreed. Snapping her bag shut and directing them to call her after their talk, she curtly nodded before walking out of the apartment.

"He said I was right," Klaus said in an emotionless tone once Katherine had left.

"What do you think he means?" Dexter asked.

"I don't know," Klaus replied, his voice as tired as his body language, "We'll find out."

* * *

"Spill." Dexter ordered as soon as they ventured through the hospital doors. He had held on for the entire car ride till here, but he just had to know now.

"Spill what?" Klaus asked innocently, _almost_ innocently. Unfortunately for him Dexter knew him a lot better than he wished.

"That little gleam in your eyes when you realized who those girls were. I know that look, it's forced me to have to lie to everyone I know and almost get jailed once. What wicked and ridiculous idea have you come up with?" Dexter prodded as the made their way through the crowded passage towards Rebekah's heavily guarded room.

"It's quite simple," Klaus shrugged, "One of those girls is his next victim. He's going to kidnap her and take her to his lair or whatever."

"Yes, and we're going to stop that from happening," Dexter pointed out tersely, "We don't want another girl kidnapped right?"

"That's exactly what I want," Klaus snarled, turning around to look at Dexter and lowered his voice, "He will take the Martin girl back to wherever Caroline is. We follow them; we get everything in one shot. Caroline, Martin girl and the fucker. It's quite simple really," he repeated as if he had simply recited a recipe and not illustrated a plan to blatantly use a girl as bait.

"Klaus," Dexter took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "We are not, _not_, using an innocent girl as bait. Dangling Caryn in front of that freak is not the way to get to Caroline."

"No, buts it's the best way," Klaus argued, "And so, it's going to happen. I dare you or Pierce to try and stop me."

"It's not what Carolin-..."

"I don't give a fuck what Caroline would want anymore," Klaus seethed in a low and dangerous voice, his lips pulled back in a menacing snarl as he towered over Dexter, "I just want to find her. And then she can be mad at me for eternity, I don't care."

"Klaus, you can't..." Dexter's fruitless effort at deterring Klaus was interrupted by loud sounds of banging and yelling from a room few ways down the corridor.

When they saw Meredith and Finn run down from the other of the corridor and make their way towards the room, fear and anxiety clear on their faces, Dexter and Klaus took off running as well, understanding fully well that it was Rebekah's room that they noises came from. He couldn't help the overwhelming emotions that over took him as he ran towards the room, his mind flashing back to when he had found Caroline in the shower, to when he had found his step-mother in the bathroom, a similar sense of dread filling him up from inside.

But the sight that he witnessed when they reached the room, was not what he expected.

It was utter chaos. Meredith was holding back a hysterical Rebekah, who obviously was not as mute as they thought she was, in fact she had a good set of lungs on her, as she was yelling and screaming incoherently as Meredith tried to control her. Klaus noticed that Dexter had been right, Rebekah was definitely not weak and starved; there was enough fight in her body to give Meredith a run for her money, as she tried to get out of bed. At the foot of Rebekah's bed, held by two FBI officers was a young man, struggling and attempting to say something. He was young, about 20 or 21 maximum, brown eyes, light brown hair and a strong jaw, and something was so familiar about him..

"Kol!" Dexter breathed, his mouth gaping slightly at the sight ahead of them. But he was right, the young boy fighting to, it seemed, talk to Rebekah, was Kol indeed. Though he looked older and more washed-out than the photo Caroline had taken of him.

"What did you tell them, Bekah?" Kol sneered, spittle flying out of his mouth, bending forward and straining to get a look at the suddenly calmer Rebekah, as one of the officers jammed an elbow into his back to contain him, "What did you tell them?" he demanded again, his voice muffled in pain.

"_Nothing_," Rebekah screamed, tears flowing down her face as she writhed in Meredith and Finn's combined grasp, "I didn't say anything, I swear. I haven't said a word..." she tried to get down again, as if trying to make her way to the fighting boy, but Finn pushed her flat onto her back as the doctors walked in to give her a sedative.

When Kol made a valiant effort to rid himself of the agents hold, the agent lifted his knee inconspicuously, hitting his ribs hard, making him cry out in pain and double over, but finally give up fighting as they subdued him and started dragging him out the door.

"Don't hurt him! _Please_ don't hurt him!" Rebekah screamed the same time Kol yelled out, fighting in vain as the nurse stuck a needle in her IV and she instantly limped against Meredith, who sighed in relief.

And that's when Klaus' brain stopped working. He needed more than a few seconds to truly grasp the things that had just occurred. Rebekah talking, _pleading_ almost, for the very man who kidnapped her?

Letting go of Rebekah, Finn followed Kol, giving them both a curt nod before hurrying after the prisoner.

"What the _fuck_ just happened?" Dexter blinked, as Meredith stepped out of Rebekah's room and closed the door.

Sighing deeply, she replied, "Katherine happened."

"What?" Klaus blurted, his eyes moving from Rebekah's now sleeping form to the brunette ahead of him.

"She came to talk to me and Finn. Spouting some crazy wild theories, but as it turns out, she was right."

"Right about what?"

"Everything!" Meredith remarked, "She said that there were two kidnappers, not one. And that one of them, the younger one, was in love with or cared for, or something as ridiculous as that, for Rebekah. And, she had a hunch that he would come to see her," she added, uttering the word 'hunch' with extreme bitterness.

"She told you everything?" Dexter asked, like Klaus, unable to process so much information in one go.

"Yes, and I didn't believe her," Meredith huffed, "But Finn did. He thought it was worth a try. So we put a camera in that flower bouquet on Rebekah's bedside table," she tilted her head to direct their attention to a big bouquet of lilies on the table, "And the guards conveniently disappeared at the same time. Not two minutes later, Kol walked in. And then everything got... confusing."

"What do you mean confusing?" Klaus asked, raising his brows and folding his hands over his chest as he waited for Meredith to talk.

"She wasn't scared of him," she admitted, "The minute he walked in, she started to talk. It was like she got out of her catatonic state. She was at ease with Kol – or whatever his name is -, and he was... comforting her. It-it is just not a normal kidnapper-kidnappee relationship."

_That_ fact, without even seeing the tape, both Klaus and Dexter could agree with.

"We believe you now," Meredith said softly, her eyes connecting with his and he could see the slightly regret in them, "Me and Finn."

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked cautiously, his attention turning to Finn who was walking up to them, looking every bit his 40 years.

"About Caroline," Finn said, noticing the way Klaus' eyes suddenly hardened and his prominent gulp, "Kol, he mentioned Caroline to Rebekah, in the tape, we heard it. You were right Nik, I'm sorry for not trusting your instincts."

Klaus merely nodded and lowered his head, his jaw clenching and his hands curling to fists, itching with the need to punch something. Dexter turned to give him a worried glance, which went unreturned. He knew how angry and disappointed Klaus had been when Finn, his captain and mentor had not believed him.

"He ask for his lawyer yet?" Dexter asked, hoping to change the topic.

"No. He doesn't' want a lawyer. But there's more," Finn said, pulling a black object and a gun from his pocket, "Kol says he'll only talk to you," he concluded, fixing his gaze on a confounded Klaus.

"Rebekah said the same thing," Meredith supplied, causing all three men to turn to her, "While they were sedating her, she said she wants to talk to Klaus Mikaelson."

"Wh-but how? Neither of them know me." Klaus asked, grasping at straws as he got more and more confused.

"No but Caroline does," Finn pointed out, "She told Kol about you, and Kol told Rebekah about you. Hence why they both want to talk to you."

"Okay." Klaus said resolutely, shaking his head violently and absently nodding his head, prepping himself to get back into hunting mode.

Taking a deep breath, Finn extended his hands towards Klaus, placing his old badge (and not a fake one) and his gun in his hands, as he said, "Welcome back to the agency."

* * *

If you don't know what to say after this confusing (and late) chapter, just follow my lead :-

Dear Tanya,

How dare you with all the angst?

How dare you not let Klaus talk to Rebekah?

How dare you make us like Kol then get him arrested?

Just how dare you?

insert name here


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12.**

* * *

_A/N- I'm going to start by saying that I'm so proud of myself for updating so soon lol! I think its because the story is at the end so I'm eager to finish it! But anyways, here is chapter 12, and another long one. 8k+ words. I hope you enjoy and do let me know what you thing. REVIEW tc.._

* * *

"_Stop fidgeting, you remind me of my prom date," Caroline sternly admonished, placing a hand on his bouncing knee and narrowing her eyes at him. _

"_Who was your prom date?" Klaus asked distractedly, less out of curiosity and more out of something to say. _

"_Owen Grayson, second-in-line to be star footballer of our high school and the guy who took my virginity," Caroline reminisced, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "On prom night, and not gently might I add."_

"_Where can I find him so I can punch him in the face?" Klaus asked coolly, turning to raise a brow at her and continuing to keep a straight face on when she giggled and patted his knee. _

"_The point being, you look just like him before we _you know_... so calm down." She advised, her cheeks coloring powder pink. _

"_I'm calm," Klaus assured her, crossing his arms over his chest and keeping his eyes trained ahead of him, "I'm just angry. Very _very_ angry."_

"_Then stop being angry."_

"_I can't. I can't stop being angry when such a... a travesty is happening right in front of me," Klaus whined, starting to bounce his knee again before Caroline rammed it down with her hand. _

_Sighing to herself as Klaus turned his attention back to the proceeding ahead of them, Caroline took the time to observe the woman sitting just two rows ahead of them. Andy Star, a 31 year old woman who lived with her husband in Klaus' building. Four years ago, Klaus had interfered when he realized her husband used to beat her up. He'd helped her, taken her to the hospital, helped her file a report against her husband, made sure that he couldn't hurt her again, testified on his own to ensure that he ended up in jail. And now here he sat, testifying again, but against Andy, who miraculously sat on her husband's side, pleading the judge to grant him parole._

"_There's nothing you can do Klaus," Caroline murmured, trying to slip her hand through his elbow but he had wound them so tight she'd probably need a crowbar to wrench them apart. "She's an adult; she knows what she's doing."_

"_No, she doesn't," Klaus laughed, "He's manipulating her, its ridiculously common. He's the man who beat her to an inch of her life, and yet here she sits," he threw his hand out towards the woman, drawing some attention towards them, "Asking the judge to let him out. It's a fucking joke is what it is." _

"_I know you don't agree with it, but you don't know everything. It's been 4 years Klaus, maybe he's changed, she must have seen something to..."_

"_No, I'll tell you what I do know," Klaus interrupted her heatedly, turning in his seat so he could face her, "I know how scared she was when I broke down their door. I know how much pain she was in, that she couldn't even breathe without crying. I know that whatever she may have done did not justify him breaking a glass bottle over her head." _

"_Klaus..."_

"_No, this, _this_ is what men do. They do as they wish and then play the 'I wasn't myself', 'something came over me', 'Split personality' and 'Satan possessed me' card and get away with it. You know why? Because stupid women like Andy believe him, believe that the same man who beat and abused her for years actually loves her." _

"_It's all bullshit," Klaus concluded, the veins in his forehead popping as he clenched his fists in anger. _

"_I know you don't understand or accept it Klaus, but... look at him. And look at her," Caroline said, her voice low and patient like she was talking to a toddler, "I think I'm a good judge of character, and he looks guilty, like he's sorry for what he's done. And yes maybe he's pretending..." she added hastily, raising her voice as she saw Klaus open his mouth, "But it's a chance Andy is willing to take, and it's her choice."_

"_It's a stupid choice. And it's going to get her killed. Literally." Klaus grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest again. _

"_You wouldn't understand," Caroline muttered under her breath, a sudden sadness clouding her voice as she lowered her head and looked at her hands. _

_After much contemplation of whether he should indulge in a conversation he knew would only go in directions he didn't like, Klaus took a deep breath and said, "What do you mean by _that_?" _

"_Because, Klaus," Caroline said forcefully, a sudden fire coming to light in her eyes as she tilted her head to look at him, "It's about _love_, something you refuse to understand." _

"_Love?" he spat, like the mere utterance of the word would subject him to unspeakable tortures. _

"_Yes, _love_," Caroline countered fiercely, "She loves him, and maybe, just _maybe_, he loves her too. And she's taking a chance on that love, because that's what you do when you love someone. You trust them, not matter how crazy. You give them second chances." _

_Klaus stared at her for a few seconds, before scoffing and turning away, shaking his head in imminent disapproval. There was no doubt that he didn't believe in Caroline's wild theory, or her adamant faith in love, and its mystical powers that could solve everything. He didn't live in fairytales like she did. Life sucked, with or without love. It made no difference, and no matter how many times she tried to explain it to him, he only had one response – instant dismissal. _

_If he'd ever taken the time to listen to her words, to really _hear_ them, then he would have understood what she was saying. She wasn't as naïve as he thought she was, she didn't live in her storybooks, she knew life wasn't easy or forgiving. And she never claimed that love could solve all the pain, but she did think that love could make it better. Love, could and can make someone's life better. But he refused to pay attention to her words. _

"_Maybe I understand her," Caroline mused, almost to herself, but she got Klaus' attention as he sharply turned his head to look at her, "I understand what it's like to love a man so much that you stand by him... even when your love is never reciprocated." _

_His blood froze in his veins, making him feel heavier than ever before, his eyes wide in wonderment as she locked her blue orbs with his, his heart clenching in pain when he saw the tears brimming in her gloomy eyes. The weight of her words hit him hard, the meaning behind it plummeting his heart to pit of his stomach, making guilt and fear ripple through his body. _

"_I connect with her on that level. I know how it feels to love a man who doesn't even want it." She breathed, her eyes flickering madly, as if searching for some hidden truth in his frozen ones. Evidently, she found nothing, as she turned away with a small dark laugh. _

_But he couldn't stop looking at her; he couldn't take his eyes off of her, her cheeks pink from anger and her eyes brimming with tears. He hated to see her cry. He detested that _he_ had made her cry. But just like the rest of him, his tongue was frozen, and he knew not what to say, for he knew not how he felt. _

"_Love doesn't come with conditions apply," she informed him, her eyes defeated and hopeless, like she had accepted this was the only fate life would give her, "It can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. Even to those who don't understand love." _

_Those words etched into his brain and burned into his heart. He never forgot those words, the agony behind them. And for every second of every day after she went missing, they tortured his soul. He replayed this very moment, every single night, cursing himself for not saying what he wanted to, now knowing very well that he probably might never get the chance to say it._

* * *

Klaus ran a frustrated hand down his face, his hair sticking out in all directions as he sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair, his eyes trained on the boy sitting ahead of him. He took a second to reflect on how much he hated teens, or anyone remotely _young_. Maybe he really was a grumpy old man like Caroline always said he was.

But he really despised today's youth, a prime example of one sitting right in front of him. Even bound in handcuffs and chains, Kol managed to have an infuriating smirk on his face like he knew some world changing secret no one else could even imagine. It was annoying to say the least, he was in federal _fucking_ custody; some fear would be nice to see. But all they got from Kol for the past one hour of increasingly aggressive questioning was more smirks from him and more agitation from Klaus. Klaus could almost see Dexter nervously wringing his hands behind the viewing glass, wondering when his hot-ended friend would strangle the boy where he sat.

"All right Kol," Klaus stated, puffing up his chest and staring down at the young boy, "Enough of games. My good friends Jack and Daniels is waiting for me, so let's hurry this up, I don't have my entire life to stare at you. Where is Mikael?"

Kol only smiled back at him, shifting in his chair slightly, making the chains jiggle and chime accordingly, "I want to see Rebekah." he stated in a neutral tone.

"And _again_, that isn't going to happen," Klaus responded placing his hands on the cool, metal table, his rising anger visible to those who knew him.

"I've told you a million times that you can't see Rebekah," Klaus repeated himself, "In case you don't understand, you are in federal custody, and Rebekah is under our protection, since you know she's your _victim_ and all."

There was a sudden sound of clanging metal as Kol suddenly leapt ahead in his seat, leaning over the table as much as his bounds would allow. He provided a formidable sight, despite his youthful face, the power and danger he possessed was visible in his eyes as he sneered at Klaus, "I may not have had sniper training like you , but I survived 20 years with that man. If you call Rebekah my victim one more time, I assure you, I _will_ hurt you."

Unaffected by his sudden show of violence, Klaus simply raised a brow as a small almost; _almost_ impressed smile graced his otherwise annoyed face.

Behind the viewing glass, Meredith leaned towards her superior as she whispered, "Is it just me or does Nik look impressed?"

"Of course he does," Dexter answered confidently before Finn could respond, "This is Nik, psychos impress him."

"Fine, we'll play it your way," Klaus resigned, throwing up his hands in mock surrender even though he looked more amused than scared, "Rebekah is a part of the crime you partook in, they will not allow you to see her, no matter what you say."

Kol looked at him for a moment, and then turned his gaze away to the giant glass to the side of the interrogation room. He seemed to be making some calculations in his head as he turned back to Klaus and said, "I want to see Rebekah."

Klaus let out a frustrated growl and banged his fists on the table, "What is it going to take for you to understand that you _cannot_ see Rebekah?"

"What is it going to take for _you_ to understand that I won't say a word until I see Rebekah?" Kol retorted, turning Klaus' words back on him, "Caroline's dead body?" Kol inquired in a soft, ominous whisper.

Klaus froze in his seat, his back ram-rod straight as he stared at Kol, his eyes becoming stormier every second. Dexter drew a sharp breath and shared a worried glace with Katherine when he saw Klaus' hands literally shake in anger.

"Nik's gonna kill him," Dexter muttered, almost making a movement to walk out of the observation room and burst into the interrogation and stop his friend from committing felony murder, "He's going to kill him."

"Wait," Katherine stopped him by placing a hand on his arm, directing his attention back to Klaus.

Klaus lowered his head, a small dark laugh escaping him as he clasped his hands under the desk, pressing them together so hard that they could see the veins pop up from the pressure. "You expect us to believe this façade? You expect us to believe that you... what, _love_ Rebekah?"

Kol laughed too, his laugh throaty and sinister, "I don't particularly care what you people believe. All that matters is what she believes."

"And obviously you've manipulated her into believing that you actually care about her," Klaus countered, raising his brows in his trademark condescending manner and resting his elbows on the table.

"I haven't manipulated her, I haven't brainwashed her. She knows what is and what isn't."

Klaus only snorted in disbelief and kept his eyes on his opponent, "What do you want? A deal? Reduced sentence?"

"I want to..."

"See Rebekah," Klaus spoke over him, "Yes other than that, because it isn't going to happen."

"Why don't you do one thing," Kol said, staring dead on at Klaus and pointing a finger at him, "Why don't you go speak to Rebekah. _Talk to Rebekah_." He enunciated each syllable purposefully, his tone a perplexing mix of authoritative and pleading "Ask her if she wants to see me."

"Talk to her, arrange a meeting for us. And I'll tell you everything you want to know. I'll tell you about Mikael, I'll tell you about Caroline, I'll even give you the name of the girl Mikael is going to take next."

"Wait... what?" Meredith sucked in a deep breath on the other side of the glass, her voice low for no reason as she turned her wide eyes to Finn, who looked just as surprised as her.

"We need that name," he said desperately, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Katherine opened her mouth instantly, about to tell them about the girls, and their suspicions that Caryn Martin was the next girl, but she felt Dexter hurriedly grab her hand, tugging at it incessantly until she looked at him. He shook his head at, moving his head from side to side with defined emphasis, letting her know to not speak about it. Despite her hesitance, she complied, turning away and keeping her mouth shut.

"Why would she want to see the man who kidnapped and tormented her for months?" Klaus countered in an amused voice, quite obviously baiting Kol, but he wasn't having any of that.

"She's fine you know," Kol said after a minute or so of intense staring between the two.

"Rebekah? Yes I know she's fine, now that she's away from you." Klaus responded cheekily, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Undeterred by Klaus' blatant statement, Kol shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "_Caroline_. Caroline's fine, a little scared and dirty, but overall fine," he took a pause to appraise Klaus' reaction; who seemed to have frozen in place once again, the only sign of emotions in his cloudy eyes, "I gave her food and supplies as often as I could."

At this point, Dexter was sure Klaus would lose it, having been pushed too many times, but it seemed that Klaus had managed to keep his temper in control. His hands clenched into fists on his thighs were the only sign of his distress as Klaus visibly swallowed and turned his darkened eyes to Kol.

"Is there anything useful you have to provide us with?" he questioned, his voice losing all the playfulness and amusement it had gained, as he got off his chair, dragging the chair with him.

Kol merely shrugged and leaned back in his chair, his carriage and attitude reflecting a king on a throne, not a convict in restrains, seated on a weak, metal chair. "I know you don't believe that I care about Rebekah, but you of all people should understand."

"Excuse me?" Klaus mused, turning back to look at Kol with a curious gaze.

Kol took a second to reply, as if thinking it over carefully, before he resolutely said, "Love doesn't come with conditions apply. It can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. Even to those who don't understand love."

To everyone other than them, those words held no merit, no meaning, no significance, no depth, they were just words. But as Katherine and Dexter caught the fleeting emotions flash over Klaus' face they realized those weren't just words, they were a lot more.

* * *

"Maybe we can let them meet," Meredith suggested half-heartedly, placing her hands on her hips as she looked questioningly at Finn, who gave her an incredulous look in return.

"No way," he said authoritatively, shaking his head, "The flack from women rights and human rights will take eternity to die down. It's not happening."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Dexter asked, one eye on his superior and one on Klaus' back. Katherine stood next to Klaus, her attention, like Dexter's more on him than the conversation. Klaus looked catatonic to say the least; it was like he had chosen a point on the floor and decided to stare at it for the foreseeable future.

"Maybe Klaus could talk to Rebekah," Katherine provided, making Dexter vigorously nod his head in agreement. They had both seen the way Kol had subtly asked, almost _told_, Klaus to talk to Rebekah, it wasn't random, there was something to it.

"Yes," Finn concurred, "You talk to her Nik, see what she says."

It took Klaus a while to respond, or even understand that someone was talking to him. Only when Katherine not so secretly nudged him in the back, he turned around to face Finn, his face distraught and completely lost, making his boss raise his brows.

"I-I uhm I need some air," Klaus mumbled, "I'll be back in 5." He added and started walking towards the exit, but not before he turned to look at Katherine and Dexter, "Aren't you coming?" he asked, as if doubting their sanity for not following him immediately.

"Uhm yeah..." they both muttered awkwardly, following after him while Meredith and Finn watched in confusion.

* * *

"Something happened," Dexter declared as they bound into the parking lot, Klaus almost jogging the whole way, "I don't exactly know what, but _something_ happened."

Klaus took a deep breath, an indecipherable noise leaving his mouth as he bent over, placing his hands on his kneecaps and hanging his head.

"That line," Klaus shakily said, standing up straight and leaning against a car, "That _fucking_ line."

"Love doesn't come with blah blah blah?" Katherine asked instantly, alarmed by Klaus' behavior, "What does it mean?"

"Caroline said that to me," Klaus spoke slowly, measuring each word as if it physically pained him, "The _exact_ line, she said that to me. She told Kol that line, she told him to say it to me."

"Why?" Dexter asked nonplussed, his brow furrowing in confusion, "What purpose does it serve?"

Klaus seemed to be far, far away as he buried his face in his hands and spoke in a muffled voice, "_When you love someone, you trust them_, _no matter how crazy._"

"And..."

"She's asking me to trust him," Klaus stated, "She's asking me to trust _her_, on trusting Kol."

"I don't understand," Katherine mused, sharing a bewildered look with Dexter, "At all."

"It's a message, she's sending me a message." Klaus breathed, looking so much older than his 30 years, these past few days given him enough stress to age him a decade or more.

"Ok, ok," Dexter said defiantly, "Are you going to trust him?"

"Yes," Klaus said finitely, with determination and surety, and without hesitation. Like penance for something he should have done a long time back.

"I just thought of something." Katherine said after a while, making Klaus and Dexter turn to her questioningly, "Remember the robbery in that highway store?"

"Yeah," Klaus slowly replied, confusion marring his features.

"Kol perpetrated that robbery, to get the videotape but just make it look like a robbery. Do you remember the things they took," she added with a raised brow and when each of them just shook their head at her she sighed in defeat and continued, "The usual to make us think it was robbery – liquor, food and condoms. But there also were - tampons and medical supplies."

"Kol has been helping them," Dexter supplied, "Only reason he'd need those things. Maybe we _can_ trust him, Nik." He added thoughtfully, only receiving silence from Klaus.

"Ok, then let's go talk to Rebekah," Katherine said, attempting to bring them back on track.

They both nodded nonchalantly and made to follow her.

"I never told her," Klaus suddenly called out from behind, as they started walking towards the car.

"What?"

"Caroline," Klaus sighed, a small regretful smile appearing on his face, "I never told her that I loved her. Ever."

Dexter and Katherine only started at him, grasping at thin air to think of something to say, but they didn't have to. It was clear that Klaus had reached his breaking point, voicing something that had been eating at him for so long, something that haunted him since the day she went missing.

"And I keep thinking that I'll never get to tell her." He laughed at his own words, or maybe at the situation, and how fucked up his life and fate were, how fucked up _he_ was.

The man who couldn't love, _did_ love. But the woman who he loved would probably never even know it.

"You will," Dexter assured him, a fiery determination blazing in his eyes, thoroughly surprising Klaus as he lightly slapped him on the shoulder, "You _will_ get to tell her, so don't mess it up this time."

"Yeah," Katherine awkwardly agreed, smiling and nodding her head in agreement with Dexter's assurance, "Do it right this time, or I'll shoot you."

* * *

"I know you don't know me, but I have heard a lot about you," Klaus said, a fake smile plastered on his face. It was stretching his facial muscles in ways he couldn't even comprehend. He was sure he looked like a clown right now, or something equally ridiculous. He had been harped on by Meredith and Katherine for fifteen minutes, telling him how Rebekah was in a delicate state right now, and he couldn't do his infamous tactic of 'poke and poke and poke, until you get what you want' with her. He had to be gentle, Katherine had said. He had to smile and appear friendly, Meredith had said. He'd rather take a bullet in the leg rather than appear friendly. But once again, for Caroline, he was doing thing he never imagined.

"I feel like I almost know you," he added in desperation when Rebekah didn't respond, only continued to stare at him with hollow eyes and an expressionless face.

"You knew Caroline," Rebekah instantly perked up, sitting up straighter in her hospital bed. When Klaus slowly nodded his head, her dead eyes seem to gain some life, "You're... you're her, boyfriend?" she asked hesitantly, as if unsure of whether to use that word or not.

Again, Klaus solemnly nodded his head, aided by a weird throaty noise as agreement.

"Why did you say you wanted to talk to me?" Klaus asked, getting straight to the point. He could see that Rebekah was contemplating his question, as she fidgeted with her fingers, staring at them as if they held all the answers. He gave her her time, shifting in his chair and crossing his legs.

"I want to see Kol."

His eyes closed the same time an exasperated mix of a sigh and snarl left him. Gone was the smile he had worked so hard to keep on his face as he heard her words. "No you cannot, and I am not going to sit here for another hour playing games." Klaus spat, leaning forward and locking his eyes with Rebekah's.

"I want you to tell me where Mikael is. The place where he takes all the girls, where he took you," Klaus started, his professional interrogative tone back in place, "I want to save your sister, but have you to help me Rebekah."

"He won't hurt her," she said, defiance clear in her blue eyes, tinted by a fleck of doubt of her own words, "Mikael, he won't hurt Caroline" she continued when she saw the confusion on Klaus' face, "How do you think I survived in there for 3 months?"

It took Klaus a second to realize that her question wasn't rhetorical and she actually expected an answer. "I don't know," he curtly responded, not having any time for games and drawn out conversations leading to absolutely nothing.

"Look at me," Rebekah commanded, sitting up straighter and waving a hand over her body. Klaus shook his head at her questioningly, definitely wondering about her sanity, "Look at me," she pressed, and that when he noticed it.

She was a blonde now. Somehow in between all the confusion, he hadn't yet noticed that she wasn't a brunette anymore.

"The third day I was in there, Kol came into my cell," Rebekah explain, a sudden shiver running through her body, "He started dragging me out, and I was terrified. I did-didn't trust him then, I thought... I thought he was going to..." she trailed off nervously, closing her eyes forcefully and twiddling her thumbs, "He didn't, he didn't hurt me. He dyed my hair."

"He did what?" Klaus asked, acutely aware of how ridiculous he sounded.

"He dyed my hair, and when Mikael came into my cell... to kill me," she gulped in anxiety, clenching her hands into fists – a classic technique to control a sudden surge of fear, "He _couldn't_ kill me. He couldn't even look at me. His pattern doesn't include people who aren't brunette's. Without my brown hair, I didn't look like Lauren, he couldn't do anything to me."

"You know about Lauren?" Klaus asked, astonished that she knew so much.

"Yes, Kol told me everything. And when he told me he had to take a girl named Caroline, I just knew it was my sister, so I asked him to help her. Kol took the wig Caroline was wearing," Rebekah informed him, looking surprisingly confident in her assumptions, "Mikael can't kill her."

"Maybe so, but we still need to find her." Klaus asserted, trying to take this conversation back onto a productive path.

"Did Kol say anything about me?" Rebekah inquired, a sudden uncertain tinge to her voice.

Klaus went to say no, but instead remember the words Kol had spoken and said, "Yes, he asked if you want to talk to him."

She leaned back in her bed, resting her head against the bed and taking deep, measured breaths. Her body-language changed in an instant, gone was the sluggishness he could see, her back erect and her chin held high, she stated "Kol wants to make a deal."

"I'm sorry," Klaus spluttered, "Why didn't he tell me that himself then?" Klaus asked bemused when Rebekah repeated her words.

In an instant it all made sense to Klaus. Kol hadn't said a word because he knew that people were watching. But here, no one was listening in on his conversation with Rebekah.

"I'm guessing the deal Kol wants to make, no one will agree to," Klaus said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You would," Rebekah gave him a pointed look; "You don't do things according to the rule book."

"What is the deal?" Klaus growled. _Friendly_ be damned. He was done being directed and played; it was time to take back the control.

"He'll take you to Mikael, he'll help you save Caroline," Rebekah started, only to be cut off by Klaus.

"And in return he wants, let me guess – a million no... a billion dollars? Or a state named after him?"

"No, he wants his freedom."

"Excuse me?" Klaus spluttered, completed confounded as he blinked stupidly at Rebekah.

"He helps you save Caroline, and in turn you let him go." Rebekah declared, taking a deep breath and puffing her chest out, as if the mere confidence in her voice would make Klaus agree to this.

Klaus laughed, for the first time in a long time, literally _laughed_, almost bending over as a wave of riotous laughter overtook him. "Do you understand that he is a felon in one of the most publicized crimes of the year? And he thinks what? That I can just _let him go_?"

"Do you even care about Caroline?" Rebekah yelled out angrily, her voice a little too accusatory for Klaus' liking.

His laughter died out in a second, to be replaced with unbridled fury as he bound to Rebekah's side in three long strides, from the absolutely petrified look on Rebekah's face he knew how frightening he looked. But he felt just as terrifying, his anger had been ebbed away for far too long, and now it was bursting through his pores, making him quite literally quake in fury.

"Don't _you_ dare accuse me of not caring for Caroline," he whispered, his voice low and rippling with such malicious threat that it made her shiver in fear, "I have thought of nothing but her for days. I am not the one picking some fucking _boy_ I just met over my sister. The same boy who kidnapped her _and_ you."

"No, no, no, _NO_," Rebekah hissed, grasping onto her blanket desperately, "You don't get to judge me; you know nothing about me . You don't know how I've survived these months, you don't know how hard..." her breathing became erratic all of a sudden, her hands fisting with such power that she trembled in fear and anger, and Klaus heard someone banging on the door outside, turning around he saw Katherine glaring daggers at him and pointing a finger at him. Rebekah looked on the verge of another nervous breakdown, but slowly and miraculously, she controlled her breathing, her fists unclenching as she closed her eyes and continued, "And besides, I know nothing. Even if I wanted to help, I know nothing. Kol never told me where he kept us."

"Convenient huh," Klaus jibed, but was cut off by Rebekah.

"The only one who can help you get Caroline is Kol. So help him, trust him. Find my sister."

"You'd put your own sister at risk for that boy?" Klaus quipped angrily, half curious and half murderous.

"No," she replied finitely, not wavering her definite gaze from him, "I don't know anything useful. I want to help them both."

Klaus only snorted, taking a step back from her bed and turning towards the door. He could see Katherine watching them through the small glass hole, her eyes narrowed and threatening, clearly telling him to stop yelling at the poor girl. Behind her he could see Dexter shaking his head and widening his eyes at him, as if compelling him to keep his calm and not do something he would regret.

"Do you love her?" Rebekah asked promptly, the look on her face challenging him as he turned around to face her, "Caroline, do you love her, Klaus?"

Again, slowly and confidently Klaus nodded his head, his eyes softening as Rebekah tilted her head to give him an almost pitying look.

"Then you might understand that love makes you do crazy things," she softly said, tearing her eyes away from him and focusing them on her fingers, nervousness and anxiety clouding her features again, "Save Caroline, please."

* * *

He had received painstaking reprimands from both Katherine and Meredith, both yapping away how he was an insensitive prat for raising his voice on a timid and tormented woman, at which point he had to control his snort. He wouldn't say that Rebekah's time in captivity was exactly a stay at the four seasons, but it was pretty clear, that despite his notions, Kol _had_ taken care of her. So, he had kept his mouth shut, nodded his head solemnly and excused himself for the night, claiming a desperate need for a stiff drink and at least a few hours sleep, leaving behind Finn and his superiors to discuss any sort of action plan going forward.

Klaus thought of telling Kol's informal deal to Finn, but decided against it, knowing very well that the FBI wouldn't risk letting lose a serial killer to save one girl. And besides, if his current plan failed, Kol was the only hope he had.

Which brought him to his current plan, something he knew was by far the riskiest thing he had ever done. But Rebekah had been right, love makes you do crazy things. And Klaus was quite crazy to begin with, imagine him in love then.

He departed from his hiding place behind the tree and walked towards the gate, forcing a not too friendly and yet not a going-to-serve-you-up-to-a-psycho-tonight smile on his face as he approached the girl just stepping out of the gate. The monstrous building behind her was alit with activity; he could even hear some shrill laughter and giggling which made him cringe in reaction. He _really_ hated young people. A university dorm was one place he never wanted to be, hence why he waited for her to leave, rather than seeking her out himself.

She seemed small, not more than 5 feet 5 inches, brown straightened hair fluttering around her shoulders as she fastened her coat. Her face instantly reminded him of Lauren, or maybe because he knew that was the image she was supposed to represent. She looked so young and innocent, and if he was a better man he'd feel guiltier about this, but he wasn't, and the only thing he felt was restlessness.

"Miss Martin?" Klaus asked, pulling out his best amiable yet official tone as he approached the girl.

"Yes," Caryn replied, instantly suspicious of him as she took one step back. Well, maybe she wasn't as stupid as most people her age.

"My name is Klaus Mikaelson," he pulled out his badge and showed it to her, hoping it would put her at ease, and thankfully it did, as she sighed in relief and smiled trustfully.

"Am I in trouble?" she instantly asked, her smile fading to be replaced by a frown.

"No, no. _No_ trouble at all," Klaus lied without reluctance, shaking his head and displaying his best dimpled smile, "I just wanted to ask you a few questions. My colleague spoke to you I think, Katherine..."

"Oh yes she was here," Caryn nodded her head, "But she never got to speak to me. She got a call, said it was urgent and left. She said she would call me back though."

Inertly Klaus blessed Dexter for calling Katherine just in time, asking her to come down to watch Kol's questioning, ensuring that she never got to speak to Caryn, and indirectly, warning her.

"Yes, she's still busy, family emergency," Klaus said smoothly, "She sent me instead. I just had one question to ask you," he added as he took a pause, trailing his eyes over her top to bottom, acutely aware of how uncomfortable he was making her, evident in the way she tugged at the lapels of her coat to wrap it around her more tightly, as if the coat would provide her any protection.

"Yes?" she urged, taking a precautionary step away from him,

Klaus took a picture out of his jacket, a large almost goofy smile on his face, which was confusing the poor girl even more, "Have you ever been to this bar?" he showed her the picture, "Highway bar 21..."

"Oh yes I have," she nodded enthusiastically, her cheeks coloring pink in an instant, "In fact I'm about to go there right now," she added giddily.

It couldn't have worked out better if he had planned it, Klaus wryly thought as he nodded his head and put the picture back in his jacket. "That's great; you should go and have fun_." And get kidnapped_.

"Why did you want to know?"

"I'm sorry I'm not at liberty to disclose that," Klaus said in a robotic voice, have said the same sentence so many times in his life.

"There's nothing wrong with it right?" she asked, uncertainty tinting her voice, "The bar, its safe..."

This was his chance. Only one he would get. And unsurprisingly, a voice a lot like Caroline's was urging him to warn Caryn, to stop her from walking into his trap. But he was tired, he was tired of hoping and praying, he was tired of dreaming about her, he was tired of hearing her in his head. He wanted to see her with his eyes, he wanted to hear her yell at him, he wanted to be able to touch her, not from memory but in reality.

And for that, he would have to do some things she might never forgive him for.

"It's _perfectly_ safe," he replied, "I hope you have a great time."

And with that he left, a sudden resilient feeling of hope settling in him. Tonight he was going to get closer than ever before. He had gotten a sneak at Caryn's dress when she fastened her coat.

It was as red as blood.

* * *

"I would just like to officially state that I think this is crazy."

"And yet you fought me to drive here," Klaus lazily replied as he kept one eye trained on the back exit of the highway bar.

"Yeah, well doesn't mean I don't think it's crazy," Dexter bit back, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the seat.

Klaus sighed loudly as he turned to give Dexter a withering glare, "You don't _have_ to help. I didn't ask Katherine for help, and I can manage on my own."

"No you can't," Dexter laughed, "You're my friend, and I like Caroline, she makes you more tolerable. Besides if I didn't want to help I would have stopped a long time back. Like before I got suspended, or before you made me forge federal documents," he pointed out, making Klaus roll his eyes, "And before Rita started to think I was gay because I was spending so much time with you," Dexter added bitterly making Klaus burst out in laughter. Dexter shot his friend a dirty glare as he made quite a show of wiping tears from his face, even though he was still shaking in laughter.

Klaus' laughter was infectious, making Dexter chuckle despite his frustration. "No, but seriously," Dexter added through another round of dry chuckles, "After all this is over, you and Caroline need to get married and make tons of babies so Rita lets go of that ridiculous notion." He concluded heated, making Klaus laugh even harder.

"_Oh god_," Klaus mumbled, sitting upright in his seat and controlling his erratic breathing after laughing so hard, "Thank you Dexter, I really needed that," he said clapping his friend on the shoulder but keeping his eyes on the bar. And that was the extent of brotherly and friendly exchange between them; they were both one of a kind, almost destined to be friends.

"Ok, tell me the plan once more," Dexter said, all traces of mirth gone as he got nervous again.

Taking a deep breath, Klaus began, "Caryn is in there, the blue van we saw him taking Caroline in is right there," he pointed his index finger towards the van parked 15 feet from them, "Mikael will bring her out from here," he pointed to the back exit of the bar, "Put her in the van, and then drive her wherever he keeps the girls. We follow them, discreetly, and wait an hour so he's not on alert. Then we go in, I contain Mikael..."

"Yes, emphasis on _contain_," Dexter piped up, turning in the driver's seat to look at Klaus, "_Only_ contain, so we can hand him over to Finn. There will be no killing."

Klaus looked almost hurt, but slowly shook his head as he spoke, "I haven't gone through all this trouble to get Caroline and end up in jail for 20 to life. I won't kill him, even though I would love to. All I care about is saving Caroline," he added sorrowfully, feeling the dreaded weight envelop his heart every time he thought about her.

"_And_ Caryn," Dexter chided, his voice unnaturally high, "Remember Caryn? The live bait we just served up in red wrapping paper and a shiny '_Lauren'_ sign on her head."

"Yes, yes," Klaus sighed exasperatedly, "Like I said, I'll contain Mikael. He's alone so it should be easy for you to find Caroline _and_ Caryn. I haven't forgotten her." he added bitterly.

He hadn't forgotten her, and he had every intention of saving her. But at the same time, both men knew that if it came down to choosing, Klaus would let her die if it meant saving Caroline. And _that_ is what Dexter was afraid of.

"It's been an hour and a half," Dexter complained, an hour and half later, "Why hasn't anything happened yet," he added with a glance at the blue van sitting peacefully in the parking lot.

"I don't know," Klaus shrugged, even though he looked worried, "Kol never showed up, so technically she got stood up. How much longer is she going to wait in there? How much longer is Mikael going to wait?"

"Maybe she found someone else to talk to," Dexter supplied, mirroring Klaus' shrug.

"In _there_?" Klaus questioned, his raised brows making it clear that he was doubting his friends sanity.

"Something is not right," Dexter predicted, and without waiting for Klaus to reply, he opened the door and began to step out, noticing from the corner of his eyes that Klaus was doing the same.

* * *

"Have you seen this girl in here?" Klaus impatiently asked as he slapped a picture of Caryn on the bar, barking at the bartender to pay some attention while Dexter frantically searched for her among the small crowd in the bar.

By now the bartender was used to random people walking into his bar and asking if he had a variety of girls in here, and yet he didn't think anything shady went down in his joint. "Yeah she was just in here," he replied in a bored tone.

"Where did she go?" Came the prompt question from Dexter.

"I don't know," the barman shrugged, "She looked sad, like she got stood up or something, saw her going to the bathroom a while back, never saw her come back though."

"When did she go to the restroom?" Klaus asked desperately.

"About 45 minutes ago."

"_Fuck_!" Klaus yelped out, running a defeated hand down his face, sparing a glance at a wide-eyed and terrified Dexter.

"We lost her!" Dexter exclaimed, moving forward and whispering low enough so that only Klaus could hear him, "We _fucking_ lost her Klaus; Mikael took her out the front."

"It doesn't make sense," Klaus argued, trying to wrap his head around this abrupt change in plans, "This doesn't fit the pattern..."

"What about the van?" Dexter suddenly remembered, "The van hasn't moved, I don't understand..."

"It was a decoy," Klaus slowly breathed out, a sudden realization dawning on his face as he leaned back against the bar, his face as white as a sheet. "Mikael knew, he knew we were watching him."

"How could he have known?" Dexter asked after a second.

"Is there is Niklaus Mikaelson in here?" the bartender yelled from behind him, waving a small, brown envelope in his hand and looking around the bar.

"That's me," Klaus said, wearily eying the packet.

"Oh!" the bartender said, shrugging in surprise and placing the envelope on the table, "Someone left this for you."

"Who? Do you know what he looked like? Where he went?" Dexter hurriedly asked as he snatched the envelope. When the bartender shrugged and said that he didn't see anyone, just the packet, Dexter let out a stream of expletives and moved towards a shell shocked Klaus.

"What is it?" Klaus asked, his voice uncharacteristically scared.

His breathing stopped and his heart dropped down to his stomach the moment he saw Dexter pull out the small, metal object from the envelope.

"Why would someone leave you a bird?" Dexter asked incredulously, twirling the miniature falcon idol in his hand, his brow furrowing as he looked up at Klaus gaping like an idiot.

Every breath was hard on his lungs, like he was immersed in water, but he was just drowning in agony. He snatched the small idol from Dexter's hand and walked out of the bar, aware of Dexter closely following him.

"What's wrong Nik?" Dexter asked, his voice soft and serious.

"Caroline," he breathed out, huffing and puffing to inhale, "Caroline told him..."

"No," Dexter dismissed, shaking his head, "Caroline would never tell them..."

"No, she wouldn't," Klaus agreed, his visions blurring with hot tears, "But there are ways to make people talk Dex."

"Oh god..."

"She's a strong woman, but there's only so much one can take before they break," Klaus added, bending over and placing his hands on his knees, turning his face so Dexter wouldn't see the tear roll down his cheek.

"Mikael can't kill Caroline," Klaus said, measuring each letter as he continued, "But that doesn't mean he can't _hurt_ her."

"We have to get to them," Dexter said, urgency bursting out in his voice and body language as he began to pace wildly, "Both, we need to get them both. _Jesus Fuck_, Klaus." he swore, having nothing else to say.

"Yes we are," Klaus promised, standing up straight and puffing out his chest, a new dangerous determination on his face, "We are going to go get Katherine, then we are going to break Kol out of Federal Custody and find Caroline."

Dumbly and just as determined as Klaus, Dexter nodded his head in agreement.

"And this time," Klaus forebodingly drawled, "I'm going to kill Mikael."

* * *

Caroline could hear everything. Every time she inhaled and exhaled, she could hear the air rushing in and out of her lungs. She could hear the puff of air leave her dry lips with every exhale. She could hear the wood scrapping against her ankle every time she moved. She could hear the weak, fluttering wings of a small, half-dead insect. In her scared and exhausted mind, she could _literally_ hear life leave her body.

There had a grave miscalculation on their part. Her plan had seemed so simple, so easy, so clean. Kol would go to see Rebekah, like he had always planned to, chances were he would get caught. And then he would demand to speak to no one but Klaus. Caroline had told him exactly what to say to get Klaus' trust. She knew he'd understand her message, and then he would find her, with help from Kol. And everything would be perfect. She would be free, Rebekah would be alive and Kol would have a free life, without living under constant threat from his father. A life Caroline believed he deserved.

But they had gotten over-confident, over played their hand. And now she was going to pay the price for it. She was just happy that Rebekah was alive, and hoped that Klaus managed to live a full life. And yet, she was terrified.

Only an hour after Kol had left, Mikael had come to her cell. And that's when their first mistake became clear. He couldn't kill her, but he could still hurt her. And he wanted to know everything. And she told him. _Everything_. She held on as long as she could, but after a point she had no control over her mind anymore, and it was spilling out words faster than she could think.

Bruised and battered, he had dragged her through the woods. That's when their last and gravest mistake came to light.

He couldn't kill her. But he could _let_ her die.

And then, he buried her alive.

* * *

If you don't know what to say to this twisty and long chapter, just follow my lead -

Dear Tanya,

How dare you with all the 'love' angst?

How dare you hurt Caroline?

How dare you end on another cliffhanger?

Just how dare you?

insert name here


End file.
